In 1927 the W. T. Rawleigh Company distributed a promotional cookbook in which it offered recipes that called for Rawleigh Company products.  The recipes in the cookbook were included as examples of healthy, nutritious dishes, although, by modern standards, they sometimes contained large amounts of salt, sugar and fat.  Take, for example, “Health Salad.”

2 cups chilled sauerkraut
1 chopped red pimento
9 Olives                                   
4 tablespoons salad oil or mayonnaise
2 hard cooked eggs
Mix all together except one egg to be used as a garnish.  Serve cold on lettuce.

“Cream of Tomato Soup”, on the other hand, contained healthy ingredients with a minimum amount of fat.
2 cups tomatoes                      
2 teaspoons butter
2 slices onion                           
2 teaspoons flour
4 cups milk                              
Rawleigh’s Pepper                                            
Salt
Stew onions and tomato, strain, reheat and add milk.  Melt butter, add flour andpour in slowly the hot stock, beating the mixture constantly.  Season and serve.

Meatless dish recipes were presented because protein could be “obtained from a variety of foodstuffs in more valuable form and with the addition of minerals and vitamins which are lacking in meat.”  “Sauerkraut Roast” could be prepared as follows:
1 cup cracker crumbs              
1 cup cheese
1 cup tomato pulp                    
1 small onion
1 cup peanuts                          
2 cups sauerkraut
1 teaspoon melted butter         
Salt and Rawleigh’s Pepper
Put cheese, onion, peanuts and kraut through a food chopper; add crumbs, tomato, salt and pepper.  Mix well, shape into a loaf, place in a buttered pan and brush sides and top with butter.  Bake 30 minutes in a moderate oven.

Canned vegetables provided a complete diet all the year around at very moderate cost.  The “Creamed Carrots with Peanut Butter” recipe was a healthy dish:
1 can carrots
1 cup white sauce
1 tablespoon peanut butter

Heat carrots to boiling; drain and dice.  Add peanut butter to sauce, pour over carrots and serve hot.
Peanut butter in the following “Rice Bars” recipe made for another interesting (and buttery) combination:
2 cups cooked rice                  
1/2 cup peanut butter
2/3 cup grated cheese              
1 tablespoon flour
Rawleigh’s Pepper                   
1cup cracker crumbs

Cook rice in boiling salted water until tender.  Drain, add peanut butter and cheese and mix well.  Mix flour, pepper and cracker crumbs, add gradually to first mixture and enough more crumbs to mold.  Form into bars about four inches long and two inches side, roll in melted butter and bake in a moderate oven until brown or fry in butter.

In spite of the high fat content in some of the above recipes, the Rawleigh Company’s overall advice to its customers was to consume plenty of milk, vegetables, fruit and whole grain bread and cereals—not bad advice for 1927 or today

Ann Middleton is director of the Bossier Historical Center. She may be reached via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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