The History Strawberry Shortcake

Origin

We don't know exactly when the first strawberry shortcake was made.

When I talk about shortcake I am talking about the biscuit or scone like pastry and not the sponge cake little cups that you can buy in the grocery store next to the fresh strawberries. It is a tender pastry made from flour, butter or shortening, milk, sometimes eggs, baking powder and sugar.

Shortcake gets it's name from the adding of shortening or butter to a dough which makes it tender. Calling a baking lard or fat shortening comes from the term "to shorten" a 15th century term which meant, "easily crumbled". Probably because it's fibers were short unlike bread.

Shortcake is a European invention , and strawberries have been around more than 2000 years, we have record of ancient Rome eating them.

Putting strawberries and shortcake together seems to be more of a United States tradition.

Strawberry shortcake parties became popular in the United States around 1850, as a celebration of the coming of summer. It was probably the most popular berry back then, people talked of strawberry fever. One of the early colonists remarked, "Doubtless the almighty COULD make a better berry, but doubtless he never did".

This could be because the railroads became transcontinental and strawberries could be shipped surrounded with ice to keep them fresh. (this was before refrigerated boxcars)

An often quoted line from Harpers Magazine in 1893 said, "They give you good eating, strawberries and short-cake- Ohh My!"

 

The earliest recipe that we have found for this dessert was in 1847 It is for Strawberry Cake, but its very similar to what we call shortcake. Strawberry Cake Recipe from "The Lady's Receipt-Book" by Miss Leslie, published in 1847

 

So What is the history of Shortcake?

We know that short-cake has been around at least since Shakespeare. It was mentioned in his play, the Merry Wives of Windsor. A European recipe book in 1594 had a recipe for Short Cakes.

 

Short-bread is different than Shortcake and is a Scottish Specialty

The crumbly shortcake which first resembled the texture and shape of a scone, became round when the typical triangular shaped pastries kept having the point break off. It was thought that the round shape became more practical.

So what is the history of Strawberries?

Strawberries have been around since early Roman times in Italy in 200's BC.

Wild strawberries were around in the United states when the first colonists arrived. The Native indians made a bread from strawberries mixed with corn meal. Strawberries were so abundant that one wrote " You can't put your foot down without stepping on one". Strawberries became so liked by the mid 1800's that people spoke of strawberry fever.

Strawberry plants were not always big berries. Certain strawberry plants have been cross bred to create the large berries that we see today.

The origin of the name strawberry is a bit uncertain. Here some of the popular beliefs

The name may have been derived from the Anglo-Saxon verb to strew (spread) because strawberries spread out when they grow, and the fruit came to be known first as streabergen.

Children use to thread the strawberries as they gathered them on a dried straw of wheat. They would even sell these on the roadside. perhaps they got their name from this practice.

If you saw a farmers strawberry patch you would most likely see straw mulched around all the berry plants. This is another possible way they could have got their name.

 

Links and acknowledgements

Feeding America, historical cookbooks

Online Etymology dictionary

The Penguin Companion to Food
Alan Davidson