I don’t believe I have given you a dinner menu from
an Acclimatisation Society before, which has been a serious omission which I
will remedy today.
Acclimatisation Societies were a nineteenth century
imperial concept. There were two broad aims: one was to aid the study of
natural history, the other was to encourage the spread and cultivation of native
species from the respective colonies. A third aim was perhaps to have a jolly
good eating time – most of the dinners were clearly intended to showcase all of
the intriguing exotica that could be obtained and prepared for the table.
The Acclimatisation Society of Victoria (Australia)
was established in 1861. The first annual dinner was held in 1863. The
following year, the Melbourne newspaper the Argus,
in its edition of 7 July 1864, gave
a detailed description of the second annual meeting and dinner. Part of that
article is transcribed below:
Acclimatisation Society's Dinner.
The second dinner given
under the auspices of the Acclimatisation Society of Victoria took place last
evening, at Scott's Hotel, Collins-street West. About sixty gentlemen were
present, … The whole affair was highly successful. Not only was it a fitting
tribute to the cause of acclimatisation, but it was also a complete triumph of
gastronomy. All the varieties of " fish, flesh, and fowl" obtainable-indigenous
and imported - were represented; and there was in consequence a repast as
gratifying to the bon vivant as to the
man who looks upon the multiplication of our food resources merely from the
utilitarian point of view. There were several kinds of soup - oyster, Murray
lobster, wild turkey, and kangaroo. The fish included,"cod" from the
Murray, trumpeter from Hobart Town, eels caught at Yon Yean, and perch brought
from Gipps Land. Among the entrees
were curries, pates, and salmis, in
which wombat, bandicoot, and paroquet figured conspicuously; but the bonne bouche was certainly the "vol
au vent of frogs." With regard to the more substantial features of the
feast, it may bo observed that, although there were saddles of Chinese mutton
and kangaroo, the undoubted pièce de resistance
was a saddle of mutton (weighing 451b.) cut from a Leicester sheep, and
presented by Mr. T. F. Hamilton, of Gisborne. There was also a famous haunch of
venison, but it had not been hung long enough to thoroughly satisfy epicures.
Other sorts of game were plentiful, and English pheasant and hare were
discussed simultaneously with native companion and mallee hen. Of the vegetables,
the yams and sweet potatoes were much inquired after. There was a great assortment of sweets, one
prominent item being a pudding named after His Excellency the Governor. The
wines included some choice European varieties, samples of the best vintages of
New South Wales, South Australia, and Victoria ; a sparkling American wine – Cautauba
- grown in Ohio; and some colonial Madeira, thirteen years old made by the late
Mr. Bear. The success of the entertainment was considerably enhanced by the
response made to the Acclimatisation Society's appeal for "palatable
contributions. Among these contributions was a fallow buck, a black swan, and
some wallabies, sent by Mr. McHaffie, of
Philip Island; a number of pheasants and rabbits, by Mr. T.Austin, of Barwon Park;
a hare, by Mr.W. Lyall; yams and sweet potatoes, by Mr. E. Dacomb, of Portland;
and several bottles of home-made colonial pickles, by an unknown donor. The
contributions by the Acclimatisation Society of Queensland consisted of sugar
bananas, pineapples, green ginger, arrowroot, oranges, and preserves, from the
estate of Mr. Charles Coxen; some sugar from the station of the Hon. Louis
Hope; and a number of yams and sweet potatoes; and we understand it was a matter
of regret to Mr. L. A. Bernays and other gentlemen connected with the
Queensland society, that, owing to the short notice, other articles could not
be sent. For other information about the viands, we must refer our readers to
the subjoined "bill of fare.”
LE
MENU.
Sydney
rock oysters.
LES
POTAGES.
A
la tortue.
Aux
huitres.
Au
dindon sauvage.
A
la queue de kangaroo.
A
la bisque d'ecrevisses du Murray.
LES
POISSONS
Les
cabillauds de Murray, sauce crevettes.
Le
fillet de merlan au gratín.
Le
filet de sole à l’orliz.
Le mullet grille
a la maitre d'hotel
La
matelotte d'angullle.
Les
anguilles frites au beurre.
Le
porch do Gipps Land a la Nantaise
Les
anguilles du Yan Yean a la Tartare
Le
perch du Murray a la Chambord
Le
poisson noir, sauco Gonolse.
Le
carrelet, sauce Normande
Le
fillet de trompeteror au turban.
Le
dorade au bleu.
LES
ENTREES
Le
vol au ventt de grenouille a la poulette
La
chartreuses de pigeon sauvage.
Le
fricandeau de wombat aux epinards
Les
côtelettes de venaison, sauce champignons
Le
fillot de canard noir, sauce d'orange.
Le
bandicoot en currie
Le
civet de chevreuil.
Le
pate chaud de perroquets.
Le
salmi do sarcelles aux truffes.
Le
lapin sauvage sauce a la chasseur.
LES
FROIDS.
La
rnayonaise de volaille.
Le
chaud froid de gibier.
Do.
do. poulet nouveau.
L'Aspic
d'escalop de lapin native
Do.
de pigeon native
La
galantine de dindoneau.
Hûre
de sanglier
Lo
cochon sauvage du Goulbourn.
Le
jambon glacé – langues glacées.
LES
ROTS.
Le
selle do mouton de Chine.
L'agneau
de Chine garni de pilaf
Lo
lapln do Barwon Park, bouilli sauce celery.
Le
dinde bouilli sauce celery.
Les
dindes rotis.
Les
poulettes.
Les
oies rôties.
L'ole
du Cap Barren.
Le
canard sauvago roti.
Le
jambon braisé au Madeira
Le
lapin de Barwon Park rotis.
Hanche
de venaison.
Selle
de kangaroo.
LE
GIBIER
Le faisan. Les
oiseaux de wattle.
Le lievre Le
dinde sauvage
Le native compagnon Le canard noir
Le canard des bois Les
pluviers dorés
Le pintade roti Les
wombats
Les bandicoots la
poule de mallee
Les Sarcelles Les
cailles
LEGUMES
DE LA SAISON
Les
yams de Queensland.
Les
pommes de terres douces, les artlchaux.
ENTREMETS.
Les
corbeilles garnis.
Les
biscuits aux amandes.
Les
meringues Suisses.
Les
biscuits do Savoie a l'orange.
Les
tourtes aux pommes.
La
chartreuse de fruits.
La
gélée de Danzick.
Les
pommes aux riz meringues.
Le
boudin de Darling.
Le
fondu au Parmesan.
Les
gateaux Napolitains.
Le
blanc mange a la Moscovite
Les
beignets d'ananas.
La
Charlotte a la Parisienne
Le
gélée au Madeiro,
Le
compote d'abricot de Chantilly.
Le
meringue a la crême.
Le
boudin de Victoria.
Le
macaroni au gratin.
OMELETTES
SOUFLEES
Le
boudin glacé a la Cerito.
Les
crêmes aux fraises glacées.
CAFE.
The dinner was served à
la Russe, by which it is to understood that almost everything was carved at the
sideboard, and handed round by the waiters. The effect of this arrangement was
to prolong the repast over a period of something like three hours and a half-
an arrangement which, judging by results, was not at all unsatisfactory to the
great majorityof the guests.
Recipe
selection was difficult today. I decided against giving you instructions for
cooking wombat or bandicoot, but still wanted to keep the content Australian.
In the end, amidst such elaborate richness, I went for a simple banana recipe,
for no better reason than that bananas are an important crop in my home state
of Queensland.
Banana Cream.
Procure five ripe
bananas, take off the skins and pound the fruit in a mortar to a pulp with 5
oz.white sugar. Beat up half a pint of good cream to a stiff froth, add the
pounded bananas, half a glass of brandy, and the juice of one lemon; mix well
together, then add ½ oz. of isinglass dissolved in a little boiling water,
gently whisk for a few minutes, fill the mould, set in a cool place till
wanted. When required dip the mould in warm water for a few seconds, wipe and
turn out onto a glass dish.
The Capricornian (Rockhampton, Qld) 6
December 1890.
3 comments:
They did know how to eat back then!
bananas an important crop, if not native
Menus like this really make our mere three- or four-course meals seem puny. Such a different mind- (and table-) set, it's hard to understand.
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