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If we're still on slaves' diet, I'll put my nickle in it. One thing I haven't seen mentioned is that there was a whole range of slave owners. One one end were those who were brutal to their slaves. Whipped them, beat them. Some of the slaves lived on flour, grease and molasses with a few greens they found in the wild. On the other hand, there were Southern families who treated their slaves like family. These slaves were allowed to raise chickens (therefore eggs, too), pigs and maybe goats. They could raise fresh produce in their own gardens and probably had access to seasonal fruit. So I would find it difficult to define "the slave diet". Just as difficult as defining "the American diet". Some people eat meat three times a day. Others (wackos mostly) never eat the stuff (Oh, did I mention I've been a vegetarian for 41 years). I would surmise slave diets ran the same gamut.
Calicoboy
__________________ My dear mother:- I have come safely through two more terrible engagements with the enemy, that at South Mountain and the great battle of yesterday (Antietam). Our splendid regiment is almost destroyed. We have had nearly 400 men killed and wounded in the battles. Seven of our officers were shot and three killed in yesterday's battle and nearly 150 men killed and wounded. All from less than 300 engaged. The men have stood like iron....Maj. Rufus Dawes, 6th Wisconsin Volunteers
Last edited by Calicoboy; 12-12-2005 at 12:15 AM.
Reason: content
Calicoboy has just made a superb point. Not every slave, or even, most had the same diet. To add further a slave in SC was bound to have a different diet than one in Texas. And of coarse there is the different quality of master, from those who actually took care of their property to those who didn't.
Such an idea leads me back to the original thougts on this thread that the researchers Sockknitter found w/ such an interesting premise may not have been as thorough as they would have us believe.
Vegetarian... I am so sorry. I could never do w/out a fresh beef or Vension steak.
__________________ Few take the trouble to understand or to view the American scene with perspective. And we Americans love to find ourselves guilty of something. However, it is never I who am guilty, but those other Americans, the past or present government or the other political party. Americans almost never find other countries guilty. It is always ourselves or our fancied influence in other countries. Louis L'amour
Ole,
As re: the application of anthropometrics, the science, to an application and bipartisann determinaton of a slaves diet, we would need to concurr upon an 'average' slave's diet. Therein lies the problem. Find an 'average' slave dietary and daily intake and I'll be glad to apply anthropometrics to this discussion?
Excellent. As there are some givens and logical assumptions, let's create an average diet.
As there were some standards, 3# fat pork, one peck of corn, salt and molasses weekly. (For this purpose, we'll have to ignore the probability that other meat was seasonally available.) We can assume that most were provided garden space, so we can add turnips, sweet and Irish potatoes, carrots. legumes, okra, greens, and nuts. Squash is a keeper.
No dairy products whatever. Some berries in season and apples virtually year round. Some melons in season.
So it sounds as though a reasonable cook could take this average provender and make at least physically sustaining meals. (I make that specification in that insufficient protein will not repair muscle mass, let alone sustain it -- building it, as in today's body building, being out of the question.)
I will be most interested in the processes by which you apply anthropometrics to the question.
Thanks.
Ole
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
In MS, stock laws only came into being after 1900, when automobiles began using roads. Prior to stock laws, people fenced their crops, and critters ran wild. hogs, as well as cows, know when and where a meal is available, if they are fed at the same location for only a few days. Poor quality meat? how could that be, when the number two crop in the South was grain. Dec 31, 2005, I intend to be one of a group that slaughters three corn-fed hogs to eat. Not because we can't afford to buy meat, because unless you have eaten fresh hog meat, you haven't eaten hog meat. Recently I read an article concerning cholestrol, that stated that wild or field raised animals have much less cholestrol than mass produced slaughter animals. Maybe this , along with the exercise, accounts for the fact that in slave census' of the 1850-60's there are quite a few slaves over 100 years of age.
A peck is not 1/2 gallon, a peck is more like a gallon and a half.
You're almost correct, olerebel. I didn't triple check the size of a peck. Now I've looked at 5 sources and agree, a peck is 2 dry gallons, and a peck is 1/4 bushel.
Being busy right now until after Christmas knitting socks and making cookies, I intend to later read slave accounts of their food, rations and preferences and post here. LATER. I also agree that it's probably futile to try to describe a typical slave diet over such a large geographical area and such a long stretch of time. It would be as hard as trying to proclaim what all our ancestors of the same time and stretches of country ate.
I intend to later read slave accounts of their food, rations and preferences and post here. LATER. I also agree that it's probably futile to try to describe a typical slave diet over such a large geographical area and such a long stretch of time. It would be as hard as trying to proclaim what all our ancestors of the same time and stretches of country ate.[/quote]
*****
Hi Sockknitter,
Bingo! You hit the nail squarely on the head. That's why I haven't replied. The "futility" of trying to get CWT people (not you) to agree on a median daily slave diet. I'll await your reply, later, and we'll see what goes. :-) Great post Sockknitter!
Have a very enjoyable time knitting and baking those cookies!
Yours Most Respectfully,
Alabaman
Sockknitter, I'm glad that you checked on the measure of a peck. The only thing that I remember that is measured by the peck now is seed potatoes, and that being in a small bucket. But the difference would be quite substantial in the amount of cornbread a person would have to eat!
I raised some white corn last summer, and intend to try making hominy the old fashioned way during the Christmas holidays.
Some of the foods that are looked down on as 'slave food' are quite good if cooked and prepared properly.
People sometimes forget when they mention 'slaves' that well to do planters had house servants who did the cooking, cleaning, etc. House servants usually ate with the children of the owners. They were in a class by themselves. The field hands fit the description of slaves. The better they were fed the more work they could accomplish. I suspect that slave life varied as much as their diet.
I ran upon this thread again... I ended 2005 by assisting neighbors butcher 4 hogs. Just to prove it still can be done, and have fresh pork. Quite a bit like dressing a deer. No, we didn't clean the chitlins. With fresh deer tenderloin and fresh pork tenderloin beside it, I'll choose the pork.
No one has mentioned sugar cane syrup, which was a staple.
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