The origins of Salisbury steak
 

[x-posted to rec.food.historic]

"Preesi" > wrote in message
...

> The original Salisbury steak, according to the talk show host, was simply
> well-cooked plain hamburger "invented" in 1888 by Dr. James H. Salisbury,
an
> English physician.

> Dr. Salisbury believed well-cooked hamburger three times a day, with large
> glasses of very hot water, would cure almost any disease.

> Salisbury steak, or a pounded, tough steak blended with seasonings and
> usually broiled, was named after Dr. J. H. Salisbury. Dr. Salisbury
> advocated eating beef three times per day for health benefits. This was in
> agreement with the Government Health Food Pyramid of the time.

> Two different sources for the Salisbury steak naming!

> HMMMMM! I wonder what the original Food Pyramid was like?

I was going to say something about Salisbury steak being invented by the
druids who built Stonehenge, but in the interests of sanity (and the
possibility that this might turn into an interesting thread) I shall
refrain.

--
Bob
Kanyak's Doghouse
http://kanyak.com

The origins of Salisbury steak
 

>
>> The original Salisbury steak, according to the talk show host, was simply
>> well-cooked plain hamburger "invented" in 1888 by Dr. James H. Salisbury,
>an
>> English physician.
>
>> Dr. Salisbury believed well-cooked hamburger three times a day, with large
>> glasses of very hot water, would cure almost any disease.
>
>> Salisbury steak, or a pounded, tough steak blended with seasonings and
>> usually broiled, was named after Dr. J. H. Salisbury. Dr. Salisbury
>> advocated eating beef three times per day for health benefits. This was in
>> agreement with the Government Health Food Pyramid of the time.
>


There was a Dr. Salisbury, but he was an American. He invented it well before
1888, but his recipe (below) was published in that year. The first reference to
it in a cookboko (that I've found) is Gesine Lemcke, European and American
Cuisine (1895). As far as I know, all recipes for Salisbury steak are ground,
but I'm sure there is an exception somewhere.

Andy Smith

Salisbury's recipe:

"Eat the muscle pulp of lean beef made into cakes and broiled. This pulp should
be as free as possible from connective or glue tissue, fat and cartilage. The
"American Chopper" answers very well for separating the connective tissue...
The muscle should be scraped off with a spoon at intervals during chopping.
/97/

"Simply press it sufficiently to hold together. Make the cakes from half an
inch to an inch thick. Broil slowly and moderately well over a fire free from
blaze and smoke. When cooked, put it on a hot plate and season to taste with
butter, pepper and salt; also use either Worcestershire or Holford sauce,
mustard, horseradish or lemon juice on the meat if desired. /98/

Source: James H. Salisbury. The Relation of Alimentation and Disease. New York:
J. H. Vail and Company, 1888.

The origins of Salisbury steak
 

I had Halford sauce. Don't know what either one was?

I had read that Salisbury developed the low-carbohydrate diet during the
civil war to restore the stomach in military hospitals (where soldiers often
died of typhus). In Ohio, maybe? I think he might have moved to England
later in life?


--
-Mark H. Zanger
author, The American History Cookbook, The American Ethnic Cookbook for
Students
www.ethnicook.com
www.historycook.com

"ASmith1946" > wrote in message
...
> >
> >> The original Salisbury steak, according to the talk show host, was
simply
> >> well-cooked plain hamburger "invented" in 1888 by Dr. James H.
Salisbury,
> >an
> >> English physician.
> >
> >> Dr. Salisbury believed well-cooked hamburger three times a day, with
large
> >> glasses of very hot water, would cure almost any disease.
> >
> >> Salisbury steak, or a pounded, tough steak blended with seasonings and
> >> usually broiled, was named after Dr. J. H. Salisbury. Dr. Salisbury
> >> advocated eating beef three times per day for health benefits. This was
in
> >> agreement with the Government Health Food Pyramid of the time.
> >
>
>
> There was a Dr. Salisbury, but he was an American. He invented it well
before
> 1888, but his recipe (below) was published in that year. The first
reference to
> it in a cookboko (that I've found) is Gesine Lemcke, European and American
> Cuisine (1895). As far as I know, all recipes for Salisbury steak are
ground,
> but I'm sure there is an exception somewhere.
>
> Andy Smith
>
> Salisbury's recipe:
>
> "Eat the muscle pulp of lean beef made into cakes and broiled. This pulp
should
> be as free as possible from connective or glue tissue, fat and cartilage.
The
> "American Chopper" answers very well for separating the connective
tissue...
> The muscle should be scraped off with a spoon at intervals during
chopping.
> /97/
>
> "Simply press it sufficiently to hold together. Make the cakes from half
an
> inch to an inch thick. Broil slowly and moderately well over a fire free
from
> blaze and smoke. When cooked, put it on a hot plate and season to taste
with
> butter, pepper and salt; also use either Worcestershire or Holford sauce,
> mustard, horseradish or lemon juice on the meat if desired. /98/
>
> Source: James H. Salisbury. The Relation of Alimentation and Disease. New
York:
> J. H. Vail and Company, 1888.
>