Georgia Magazine - December 2011 - (Page 31)

First African Baptist Church in Savannah celebrates not only the holiday season but also its having been constituted in December 1777 with a dinner for parishioners at the church held on the second Sunday right after services. Nuts and homemade fruitcakes also marked the holiday in the homes of upper-crust Savannahians in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Son of a wealthy Savannah family, Arthur Gordon wrote his recollections of a “Low Country Christmas” in a 1963 article in Woman’s Day magazine. “As Christmas drew nearer, all sorts of edible gifts would begin to arrive from friends and relatives: bags of pecan nuts to be shelled and split and brushed with butter and salt and toasted in the oven, trays of Creole kisses, a sort of meringue with nuts that was my special favorite, and homemade fruitcakes,” Gordon writes. In an article “Christmas at the ‘Old House’,” Daisy Gordon Lawrence describes Christmas dinner, which began with oyster soup for a starter, to be followed by a huge 30-pound turkey and a ham, served with rice, gravy, candied yams, pickled peaches, cauliflower and eggplant. Dessert was a flaming plum web exclusive For more about Coastal holiday celebrations, plus recipes for Poor Man’s Fruitcake, Mark Friedman’s Mom’s Potato Pancakes, Trutas (Sweet Potato Turnovers), Arborio and Mascarpone Stuffed Lobster, Christmas Roast Pork With Colonial Stuffing, Shrimp With Tomato and Garlic, and Chatham Artillery Punch, see “Second helping” web 32A of on pageexclusive the December digital edition, available online at georgiamagazine.org. COURTESY ISAIAH DAVENPORT HOUSE pudding, with homemade ice cream and Champagne for a toast. Eggnog and Chatham Artillery Punch (see bonus online recipes, beginning on page 32A), the latter going back to before the American Revolution, were always available for holiday guests who might drop in, says Gordon in his Low-Country Christmas article, even though his father did not consume alcohol. The homemade fruitcakes would be cut into small squares to be served with the eggnog. At the Federal-style Davenport House in Savannah, holiday traditions with special dishes playing an important role were a norm during the period when Isaiah Davenport lived with his family in the house (1820-27). Today, the house is a museum, where holiday customs and decorations are re-created. (See sidebar). Through the 19th century, Christmas was celebrated rather raucously in Savannah, with parades, bonfires on the squares and fireworks. As with today’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Savannah, revelers could get a little rowdy, and in 1887, a new jail was opened in time to house the holiday inebriates. Things toned down a bit in 1895, but Christmas of 1897 records a rollicking celebration despite a rainy Christmas Day. But by the turn of the century, the celebration had become more solemn, a trend likely reinforced by Prohibition and World War II, with feasting largely confined to homes, much as it is today. Jane F. Garvey, a Decatur-based freelancer, writes often about food and wine, and enjoys discovering how they fit into culture and history. Nicole Dubberly’s family owns Sweet Savannah Shrimp/Dubberly’s Seafood. Pickled shrimp is a superb coastal dish, as it’s made ahead to serve when unexpected company drops in. This recipe is from Maggie TroutMore online at www.georgiamagazine.org It’s time to feast! The Davenport House, a Federal-style home built in 1820, today is a splendid house museum at 324 E. Bay St. in Savannah, on Columbia Square. Daily throughout December, the house will be open for tours, and docents will emphasize how the family celebrated the holidays when they lived here from 1820 to 1827. In addition, the museum will be open for evening tours featuring early 19th-century December celebrations from Dec. 25-30, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Feasting, music, the family’s Scottish influence, treatment of household slaves during the holiday time and table settings appropriate to the season will be among the topics presented. The dining room will showcase a New Year’s Day celebration, and the drawing room will be set up for a dance. Holiday attire and treats, including cakes, jellies and syllabub, will be discussed by docents wearing authentic early 19th-century dress. The home will be lit for an evening program, and music from the early 19th century will be played. Shortbread and cider will be offered in the garden. Details: Adults – $8 in advance and $10 at the door; children ages 6-18 – $5 and $7. For information and reservations, call (912) 236-8097 or email info@davenporthouse museum.org. man Bickerstaff, family friend to Nicole’s beau, Brandon Weeks. And Maggie, in turn, got it from her mother. Maggie says: “It’s a family favorite that my mom, Mary, used to make for us. Over the years I have tweaked it.” Brandon reports it is often made for the holidays and makes a splendid gift. Pickled Shrimp Savannah Water, for boiling shrimp Old Bay or Old Savannah seasoning, to taste Juice of 1 lemon 1 large stalk celery, cut into 1-inch lengths 2 bay leaves 31 The dining room table at the Isaiah Davenport House in Savannah is decorated to show the kind of bounty that would have been available for a holiday feast in a 19thcentury urban seaport. December 2011 http://www.georgiamagazine.org http://www.georgiamagazine.org http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - December 2011

Georgia Magazine - December 2011
Contents
Viewpoint
Mailbox
Georgia News
Picture This?
Calendar of Events
Currents
Magical Nights, Holiday Lights
Between the Covers
Around Georgia
My Georgia
Georgia Cooks
Snapshot

Georgia Magazine - December 2011

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