Tourists kept trying to crash our 19th-century dinner party.
I couldn’t blame them considering the curious spectacle; we were like a museum exhibit brought to life. The man to my right was dressed as a Regency period military captain. To my left, an 1800s businessman. We sat over fine china around a table inside the captain’s quarters at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine. I felt massively underdressed in a T-shirt and jeans.
I was invited to dinner by publicist Gayle Economos — who sat across from me, wearing a corset beneath her silk military jacket — to get a taste of what daily life was like in Baltimore during the 1814 bombardment by the British.
This Thursday marks the anniversary of that siege, which famously inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner” when he saw the flag still standing from this site. Also known as Defenders’ Day, it’s actually Baltimore’s oldest continuously celebrated holiday and a big deal here at Fort McHenry, where it will be marked this weekend with numerous performances and a parade.
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When we talk about the War of 1812, most of the attention goes to the usual white guys of history, like Key. But Economos brought me here to highlight the critical role played by women — especially Black women — who mended and washed clothes, sewed the flag and fed the troops during wartime.
To help illustrate that point, Wendy Alexander, a volunteer member of Fort McHenry Guard, spent days preparing a multicourse feast with items that would have been typical of the era. And it blew my mind.
Today, this city’s cuisine reveals a marvelous mix of influences from across the globe. We have cozy comfort food and other casual fare, innovative fine dining and some of the country’s finest seafood and sausages. Turns out it was the same way more than two centuries ago.
Living in a large port city, Baltimore cooks could easily find the most sought-after ingredients of the time, Alexander said. And they were inspired by foods from around the world, too, from India to the West Indies.
We started off with a creamy crab chowder-like soup that Alexander said was often prepared with oysters — the bivalves were even more popular in the 19th-century than their crustacean cousins. Then there was chicken curry served with Carolina gold rice, a dish reflecting how Indian cuisine had already become popular in British and American kitchens by the early 1800s. Miniature shepherd’s pies were served in scallop shells.
Other courses drew on European influences: spicy German bratwurst and carrots and cabbage served “the Dutch way,” according to their 18th century receipts, as recipes were called back in the day. We wrapped up with British apple Charlotte for dessert as well as Indian pudding, made from cornmeal.
My favorite dish was Alexander’s take on Philadelphia pepper pot, a spicy soup so popular it’s often referred to as the Philly cheesesteak of its day. Originally brought to the U.S. from West Africa and the Caribbean, it was sold as street food by free Black women, as shown in an 1811 painting. It’s sometimes incorrectly attributed to George Washington’s chef, more proof that cultural appropriation has no end in the food world.
Though it’s all but died out today, I think this fortifying combination of greens, meats and spices is poised to make a comeback for cold season. Adapting a recipe from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Alexander used spinach and canned callaloo, a green found in the Caribbean, but you can use almost any leafy green. Like all great soups, it tastes even better on Day 2.
Try Alexander’s version of the satisfying meal yourself.
21st-century adaptation of Philadelphia pepper pot soup
Ingredients:
3 strips bacon
3 cloves garlic
2 small yellow onions, chopped
1½ pounds stew beef
3 quarts beef stock
1 can callaloo (19 oz.)
1 bag spinach
5 russet potatoes
2 plantains
1 smoked ham hock, rinsed
4 long spicy red peppers (Alexander used cayenne peppers from her garden)
1 tablespoon black pepper
Optional: 1 cup of picked crab meat, pickled peppers
Instructions
Heat the bacon in a large stock pot, adding in garlic and onion. Cook until they begin to turn translucent and add stew meat. Cook over a medium heat until brown.
Add beef stock afterward.
Chop the greens and add to stock pot. Then add potatoes, plantains and ham hock. Add the peppers and bring to a boil. Let simmer for at least two hours.
Add crab or pickled peppers before serving.
Remove the ham hock before serving.
