Historical Food Fortnightly Challenge List, Round 6

We're back from the long hiatus with a 6th installment of the Historical Food Fortnightly!

For those of you just joining us, the Historical Food Fortnightly is a series historical cooking challenges started by the delightful Betsy back in 2014. There's no prizes or judgement: just a fun excuse to research and try new historical recipes. We'll provide the prompts, and you choose a dish to cook. You can join the Facebook group to see what other people are making and share your own projects. If 26 challenges is too much, feel free to try a "half marathon" of 13 challenges, or just jump in whenever you have the time or inclination.

As always, feel free to interpret the prompts as funny/punny/literal/contrived as you like. All eras are welcome to participate, as are all levels of cooking experience. You can cook in a modern kitchen, historic kitchen, over a fire, or however else you please.

 

 

1. February 1-14: Keep it Simple. Ease back into the new season with something simple: few ingredients, straightforward instructions, easy to clean up, or whatever makes a dish "simple" for you. 

2. February 15-28. Breakfast. Make a food suitable for breakfast.

3. March 1-14: Pie. Just in time for Pi Day, try a historic pie or tart recipe.   
 
4. March 15-28: Bread and Butter. Make bread, a dish with bread as an ingredient, or any food that is a staple of its cuisine.

5. March 29-April 11: Faux Foods. Try a recipe or use an ingredient that imitates, replaces, or tastes/looks like a different food.

6. April 12-25: Literary. Try a making a dish mentioned in a song or story.

7. April 26- May 9: T Time. Make a dish suited to tea time. Or tee time. All foods that make terrible "t" puns are in play.
 

8. May 10-23: Odd Fellows. Make a dish that combines ingredients or flavors you wouldn't normally use in modern life.
 

9. May 24-June 6: Centerpiece. Make a dish that's meant to impress or be the focal point of a meal. Time to experiment with plating and presentation!
 

10. June 7-20: First Fruits. Make a dish involving fruit in some capacity.

11. June 21-July 4: Picnic. Make picnic food or a dish that's easy to eat outside.

12. July 5-18: Eat Your Vegetables. Make a dish involving vegetables in some capacity.

13. July 19-August 1: In a Pickle. Try your hand at preserving food--pickles, jellies, jams, or any method you choose. Alternatively, make a dish that uses preserves as an ingredient.
 

14. August 2-15: Waste Not, Want Not. Try a dish that reduces waste somehow, such as re-purposing leftovers or using parts of a plant/animal that you wouldn't normally cook.
 

15. August 16-29: Traveling Food. Make a food associated with travel, or something convenient to eat on the go.

16. August 30-September 12: Harvest Time. Try a recipe associated with the harvest.
 

17. September 13-26: Saucy. Make a sauce or condiment.
 

18. September 27-October 10: Let Them Eat Cake. Make a cake or cakes!
 

19. October 11-24: Soups & Stews. Make a soup, stew, broth, or anything served in a bowl.
 

20. October 25- November 7: Fear Factor. Try making a dish with an ingredient, technique, or other element goes a little outside your comfort zone (including an era or cuisine you're less familiar with). Or make a recipe with a spooky name.

21. November 8-21: Comfort Food. The opposite of challenge #20. Try a historic version of your favorite comfort food, or a new receipt that uses techniques/tools/ingredients that you are comfortable working with.
 

22. November 22-December 5: Remember, Remember. It may not be November 5, but try cooking a dish from minimal instructions. Or try a dish that would be easy to memorize. 
 

23. December 6-19: Sweets for the Sweet. Make something sweet.
 

24. December 20-January 2: Beverages. Make a something to drink.
 

25. January 3-16: Looking Back. Revisit a dish you've made before, whether to correct a mistake, try an alternative variation, or just enjoy it again.
 

26. January 17-31: Party Time! Celebrate completing the challenge year by making a dish suitable for a party.