Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
2005.1.215.13 |
Object Name |
Recipe |
Title |
Washing Receipts |
Date |
c. 1900 |
Description |
A series of recipes written on scraps of paper belonging to the Greeniaus family. (.13) is for "Washing Receipts" or laundry detergent. The recipe is written as follows: "1 Box Gilets Lye 1 oz Salts Tartar 1 oz Liquid Ammonia Dissolve Lye in 7 qts hot water Put in tartar + ammonia Use cupful to boiler full Washing Receipts" |
History |
The use of "receipt" rather than "recipe" in this document suggests a shift in language patterns. "Receipt" has been used since ancient times to signify an instructional recipe, with its usage continuing into the early 20th century when "recipe" began to gain popularity. Emily Post’s "Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home" (1922) noted that: "Receipt has a more distinguished ancestry, but since recipe is used by all modern writers on cooking, only the immutables insist on receipt." Therefore, this "receipt" likely predates 1920. It belonged to the Greeniaus family, who resided in the historic Village of Sheridan, in historic Mississauga. While the recipe or "receipt" itself is somewhat vague, it is conceivable that it was intended for cleaning. Most homemade soaps consist of the same basic elements: water, fat, and lye. This recipe contains many of the necessary ingredients for the lye-based soap-making process, including lye or sodium hydroxide, salt of tartar or potassium bitartrate, ammonia, and hot water. However, it seems to be missing the usual fat component used to make most soaps, making the receipt a puzzling one. Historically, homemade soaps of this type were utilized for various purposes, from household cleaning to laundering clothing. |
References |
"Back to Basics: How to Learn and Enjoy our Traditional Skills", Reader's Digest Association of Canada, Montreal, 1981. "When a recipe was a 'receipt'", Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/recipe-vs-receipt-usage-word-history |
Search Terms |
Sheridan |