My Grandmother's Odd Cooking Recipes

Both of my parents passed away a few years back and I seemed to have become the family archive holder. I have most of my parents photos, old passports and very old address books that my mother kept. Along with that group I also have an old handwritten recipe book written by my dad's mother. I never bothered to try and read it until my daughter asked some family questions for a project at school. Some of the recipes just about floored me with how odd they seemed. I will list a few here just so you get an idea of what types of things people ate or should I say cooked in the 1930's.

Vinegar Cake
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
2 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
4 tablespoons vinegar, fill cup with water
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
Cream shortening, add sugar gradually, add coca or grated chocolate and eggs well beaten. Put vanilla in cup, add vinegar and fill cup with water. Sift flour and soda together twice, add liquid and flour alternately. Bake in large shallow pan.

Honigkuchen (Honey Cakes)
Heat 2 pounds honey and when slightly cooled work in 2 pounds of flour with 1 tablespoon soda dissolved in vinegar. Knead until it has the consistency of wheat bread and set away in a warm place, well covered, for 8 to 14 days. Then work the mass well up again, adding 2 eggs, spices and nuts to taste and roll out 1/4 inch thick. Bake in a slow oven and cut in squares while warm.

A colorful relish
1 pound of cranberries
1 pound of oranges
Grind all up fine including rind of orange. Add one or 2 cups of sugar and let stand for several hours.

Interesting recipes to say the least. There are over 80 pages of recipes and most of them are fairly normal sounding. I was surprised at the fact that she rarely put down any temperatures or length of time to cook the recipes. I guess she knew that part by heart.