1839: Mrs. Lettice Bryan

OCHRA SOUP

Make a plentiful broth in the usual manner, of fresh beef, veal or poultry. Put in equal proportions of ripe tomatoes and young ochras, having sliced the okras very thin, and pared and sliced the tomatoes. Boil them gently till completely dissolved, pass it through a sieve, and return it again to the pan. Have enough of the tomatoes and ochra to make it tolerably thick, season it to your taste with salt, cayenne and butter; and as soon as it comes to a boil, pour it into a tureen, on some small bits of toasted bread.

GUMBO

Peel two quarts of ripe tomatoes, mix with them two quarts of young pods of ochra, and chop them small; put them into a stew-pan, without any water; add four ounces of butter, and salt and pepper to your taste, and boil them gently and steadily for one hour; then pass it through a sieve into a tureen, and send to table with it, crackers, toasts, or light bread.

WEST INDIA GUMBO

Take two quarts of young tender pods of ochra, wash then clean, slice them and put them into a pan with very little water, salt and pepper; stew them gently till they are tender, stirring them occasionally. Serve them up with melted butter.

CORN FRITTERS

Having removed the shucks and silks from a dozen young ears of corn, grate or scrape the grains fine from the cobs, mix with it the beaten yolks of four eggs, two spoonfuls of flour, a salt-spoonful of salt, and a teaspoonfull of pepper; mix the whole together, stirring it till it is well intermingled; then drop it by spoonfuls into a pan of boiling butter or lard, making them all as nearly the same size and shape as possible; turn them over once, and when both sides are of a light brown, serve them up. It is a breakfast dish, and is quite an agreeable relish.