Rouses_May-June-2018

EAT LOCAL

[LEFT] Alabama Lane Cake [RIGHT] To Kill A Mockingbird

But Emma Rylander Lane’s hours experimenting in the kitchen, and the time and resources she took to publish Some Good Things to Eat, were not solely about personal satisfaction or sharing good recipes. As she explains in the preface: “The object of this book is to meet some of the most imperative needs of the Southern housekeepers … The first thought of every woman when she assumes the duties of a home should be her kitchen, as the health, happiness, and prosperity of a family depend largely upon the wisdom and economy of the housewife.” Lane was part of a national wave of women writing cookbooks with the express purpose of helping homemakers run economical and healthy households. The second half of the 19 th century saw an explosion of American cookbooks, written mostly by women who were dissatisfied with European recipes that were often viewed as expensive, complicated and vague. As an alternative, American women created cookbooks geared specifically for homemakers that took a common sense approach to cooking. These cookbooks were methodical, direct, easy to follow and comprehensive, often containing several hundred recipes. They were also intended to be universal — useful for beginners or experts, rich or poor. Like Lane, other cookbook authors of the era revered the homemaker’s work as the foundation of family health and happiness. One author compared the government of a family to that of a nation. Another likened the craft of cooking to building a house. As a result, these cookbooks extended far beyond recipes and cooking advice to include instruction in every facet of household management, including food preparation, family health, nutrition, home maintenance, sickness, child-rearing, kitchen organization and equipment, mishaps and emergency situations, rules of etiquette and hospitality, kitchen gardens, and ideas for recycling, repurposing and using things found in nature.

notes in his Lane cake entry in The Encyclopedia of Alabama , “In Alabama, and throughout the South, the presentation of an elegant, scratch-made, laborious Lane cake is a sign that a noteworthy life event is about to be celebrated.” — as in To Kill a Mockingbird , when a Lane cake is baked to welcome Aunt Alexandra to Maycomb. Describing it, the child Scout states, “Miss Maudie Atkinson baked a Lane cake so loaded with shinny it made me tight.” Indeed, the Lane cake’s alcoholic edge gave it a slightly wild reputation, especially in Alabama’s dry counties. It was nicknamed the “Ha Ha cake”for this reason and became popular at Alabama eggnog parties held at Christmastime. In Alabama, Lane cake is still tightly wed to the Christmas season. Lane herself had suggested that the cake is best if made a day or two before serving, to allow the flavors to blend. Some Alabamians recall their grandmothers making a Lane cake during Thanksgiving weekend and letting it stand until Christmas, when it was served at family gatherings and holiday events.

directly into the batter. The whole cake was then enveloped in a light, white icing. Southern women invented a number of these extravagant cakes around the turn of the century, including the Lady Baltimore, Moss Rose, Robert E. Lee and Japanese Fruitcake. Lane Cake was an immediate hit in Alabama. Because it was so labor intensive, it was usually reserved for birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions. As Appalachian food writer Fred Sauceman

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