Matzoth Balls (1937); Pitted Prunes; Lahmajun

[James A. Landau]

In a message dated 6/5/01 12:56:44 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Bapopik at AOL.COM
writes:

> MATZOTH BALLS
>
>     OED has 1950 for "matzo balls."  Is that their final answer?
>     From Clementine Paddleford's column in the NEW YORK HERALD TRIBUNE, 25
> March 1937, pg. 24, col. 7:
>
>  _Passover Dinner Menu_
>  (...)
>     MATZOTH BALLS
>     To each tablespoon of matzoth meal, use one egg.  Beat two eggs
> separately, adding a dash of ground ginger, dash of cinnamon, dash of
ground
> almond, dash of pepper, and a dash of salt, then stir in 2 tablesppons of
> matzoh meal and make into a paste with two teaspoons of chicken fat.  Form
> into small balls and boil twenty minutes in chicken soup.  Approximate
yield:
>  twelve balls.

Mrs. Simon Kander (Lizzie Black Kander) _The "Settlement" Cook Book, 6th
Edition_

I do not have a reliable date for the 6th edition of _The "Settlement" Cook
Book_.  The copyright date on the reverse of the title page is 1901, but six
editions in the same year is unlikely.  According to a Web site, URL
http://www.notaphily.com/scripophily/hebnatkosfoo.html, the 6th "printing"
was in 1912.  According to Amazon.com, the first edition was reprinted by
Applewood Books; ISBN: 1557094365 but the reprint is currently out of print.

The quotation is on page 84 as the recipe title "MATZOS-MARROW BALLS".

The recipe is as follows:
"2 tablespoons marrow fat, (beef)
2 eggs
1/4 cup matzos meal
1/2 teaspoon salt
A grating of nutmeg

Split the bones and remove the marrow.  Cream the marrow, add the eggs well
beaten, season, and add only enough matzos meal to shape easily into balls,
size of a walnut.  Try one in boiling water, if it does not hold together,
add more meal.  Drop into boiling soup 15 minutes before serving.  Cracker
crumbs or bread crums may be used in place of the meal."


     - Jim Landau