Recipe Manuscript

Magerhet

Name: Magerhet
Prep time: PTPT45M
Cook time: PTPT2H
Yield: 1
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 500 ml whole milk; 60 g pearl barley or rice; 50 g sago or tapioca; 100 g bread cubes; 200 g pork roast or pork chops; 200 g mutton roast or mutton chops; 1 roast goose, duck, or similar fatty bird (approx 2-3 kg, or portioned 200 g per person); 150 g veal roast or game bird (sub: chicken or turkey breast); 150 g oily fish (eel, mackerel, herring, sardines, lamprey (sub: smoked eel)); 100 g sautéed calf brains (sub: lamb or veal brains, or omit); 100 g goose, duck, fish or calf liver (sub: chicken liver); 100 g blood sausage; 100 g liver sausage; 100 g pork sausage; 50 g Swiss fondue cheese per person (such as Gruyère); 2 eggs per person (for scrambled eggs, with 30 g smoked salmon or ham); 80 g fatty cheese (e.g., Brie, Cheddar); 20 g butter (for sauces and finishing); Fresh ground black pepper and salt to taste; Hot coffee, tea, or chocolate (150-200 ml per portion) with 30 ml cream and 10 g sugar; 180 g boiled potatoes (or root vegetables: carrots, parsnips, turnips); 30 g almonds or chestnuts; 20 g honey (for sweetening); 50 g extra sugar (for baking or adding to dishes)

"Emaciation"

1889

From the treasured pages of Praktisk, illustrerad kok-bok för Svenskarne i Amerika

Written by C. A. (Charles A.) Vallentin

Age of Gastronomy (1800 - 1900)European American Beginner Intermediate Breakfast Lunch Dinner Other

Original Recipe • 1889

Original Manuscript(circa Age of Gastronomy, 1800 - 1900)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

Magerhet

"Mjölk är det bästa af alla gödningsmedel. Kött- eller mjölksoppor med stärkelserika inläggningar (korn, ris, sago, tapioca, bröd m. m.). Af kött passa feta stekar med smörsåser, särskildt stekt gris, fläskkotletter, fårstek och fårkotletter, gäss, ankor, (gödda) samt änder. Vid uppstående halsbränna omvexlas med njurkalfstek och kramsfogel. Af fiskar väljas de feta sorterna: ål, lav, lindare, sill, strömming, makril, sardiner och nejonögon. Stekt hjerna samt gås-, ank-, fisk- och kalflefver, blod-, lefver- och fläskkorf, fondue, äggröra med lax och skinka samt feta ostsorter passa ock. Kaffe, the, chokolad med grädde och socker. Alla rätter med mjölk och mjöl samt annan stärkelserik mat, såsom potatis m. fl. rotsaker, mandlar, kastanier och rötter. På fett honing och socker sparas ej såsom tillsatser till maten."

English Translation

"Milk is the best of all fattening foods. Meat or milk soups with starchy additions (barley, rice, sago, tapioca, bread, etc.). Of meats, fatty roasts with butter sauces are suitable, especially roast pork, pork chops, roast mutton and mutton chops, geese, ducks (fattened), and ducks. In case of heartburn, alternate with veal kidney roast and small game birds. Of fish, the fatty kinds are chosen: eel, salmon, ling, herring, sprat, mackerel, sardines, and lamprey. Fried brain as well as goose, duck, fish and calf liver, blood, liver and pork sausage, fondue, scrambled eggs with salmon and ham, as well as fatty cheeses are also suitable. Coffee, tea, chocolate with cream and sugar. All dishes with milk and flour and other starchy foods, such as potatoes and other root vegetables, almonds, chestnuts and roots. No sparing on fat, honey and sugar as additions to food."

Note on the Original Text

Recipes were written as dietary advice, assuming a cook's working knowledge of preparation and little standardized measurement—hence the enumeration of suitable foods rather than step-by-step instructions. Spelling follows late 19th-century Swedish forms ('af', 'steckta', 'hjerna'), and sometimes archaisms or phonetic variants. The lack of precise quantities or temperatures was typical; the 'recipe' reflects a flexible, holistic approach, focusing on ingredients suitable for the well-to-do or those needing to 'fatten up'. Modern versions require translating these suggestions into practical, measured steps and adapting to today's ingredient availability.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Praktisk, illustrerad kok-bok för Svenskarne i Amerika - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Praktisk, illustrerad kok-bok för Svenskarne i Amerika (1889)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

C. A. (Charles A.) Vallentin

Era

1889

Publisher

Svenska bok-och musikhandelns förlag

Background

A practical and charmingly illustrated Swedish cookbook tailored for immigrants in America, this 1889 volume serves up a delightful array of recipes and culinary wisdom, blending Old World tradition with New World ingredients.

Kindly made available by

Library of Congress

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe originates from the Swedish-American cookbook "Praktisk, illustrerad kok-bok för Svenskarne i Amerika" (Practical, Illustrated Cookbook for Swedes in America), published in 1889 in Minneapolis. It reflects a time when Swedish immigrants adapted traditional Old World culinary knowledge to the ingredients and cultural context of their new American setting. The entry addresses 'magerhet' (leanness), recommending dishes believed to fatten and strengthen a frail constitution—a common concern before the 20th century, when excess weight was rare. The abundance of rich dairy, fatty meats, oily fish, and starchy foods illustrates both a preoccupation with nourishment and the influence of seasonal, rural, and immigrant diets. This 'recipe' is more an anti-wasting dietary blueprint than a single dish, offering a window into 19th-century medical and culinary thinking.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

In late 19th-century kitchens, these foods would be prepared over a wood- or coal-burning stove, with large iron pots for soups and stews, roasting pans for meats, frying pans for brains and sausage, and heavy kettles for boiling. Mortars and pestles, hand whisks, ladles, butter churns, and simple knives were common. Tableware was basic but sturdy—plates, cups, and serving bowls suited to the hearty foods described.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

45 mins

Cook Time

2 hrs

Servings

We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!

Ingredients

2 cups whole milk
2 oz pearl barley or rice
1.75 oz sago or tapioca
3.5 oz bread cubes
7 oz pork roast or pork chops
7 oz mutton roast or mutton chops
1 roast goose, duck, or similar fatty bird (approx 4.4–6.6 lbs, or portioned 7 oz per person)
5.3 oz veal roast or game bird (sub: chicken or turkey breast)
5.3 oz oily fish (eel, mackerel, herring, sardines, lamprey (sub: smoked eel))
3.5 oz sautéed calf brains (sub: lamb or veal brains, or omit)
3.5 oz goose, duck, fish or calf liver (sub: chicken liver)
3.5 oz blood sausage
3.5 oz liver sausage
3.5 oz pork sausage
1.75 oz Swiss fondue cheese per person (such as Gruyère)
2 eggs per person (for scrambled eggs, with 1 oz smoked salmon or ham)
2.8 oz fatty cheese (e.g., Brie, Cheddar)
0.7 oz butter (for sauces and finishing)
Fresh ground black pepper and salt to taste
5-6.7 fl oz hot coffee, tea, or chocolate per portion with 1 fl oz cream and 0.35 oz sugar
6.3 oz boiled potatoes (or root vegetables: carrots, parsnips, turnips)
1 oz almonds or chestnuts
0.7 oz honey (for sweetening)
1.75 oz extra sugar (for baking or adding to dishes)

Instructions

This recipe, taken less as a single dish and more as a dietary guide for combating 'leanness' (magerhet), recommends a variety of rich, nourishing fare.
Begin by preparing milk-based soups with hearty add-ins like pearl barley (about 2 oz), rice (about 2 oz), sago (about 1.75 oz), tapioca (about 1.75 oz), or bread cubes (about 3.5 oz).
Accompany this with generous portions (5.3-7 oz per serving) of fatty meats: roast pork or pork chops with butter sauces, mutton roasts and chops, or roasted duck, goose, or other fatty birds.
Swap in veal roast or game birds if heartburn strikes.
Select oily fish such as eel (ålen), herring, mackerel, sardines, or lamprey (smoked eel can replace lamprey today).
Prepare dishes like sautéed calf brains, goose or duck livers, fish roe or liver, blood sausage, liver sausage, and pork sausage—about 3.5-5.3 oz each.
Rich egg dishes, such as scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and ham, fondue, and cheese omelets, are recommended.
Finish with dark coffee, tea, or hot chocolate with cream and sugar.
Include starchy sides: potatoes, root vegetables, almonds, chestnuts for variety.
Don't skimp on butter and sugar as embellishments.

Estimated Calories

1800 per serving

Cooking Estimates

This plan includes rich foods like fatty meats, cheese, eggs, butter, potatoes, and sweet drinks. Each serving gives a lot of energy to help with weight gain and nourishment.

As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.

We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.