Waverly Jumbles
“Walter Scott has no business to write novels, especially good ones. –
It is not fair. He has Fame and Profit enough as a Poet, and should not
be taking the bread out of other people’s mouths.– I do not like him,
and do not mean to like Waverley if I can help it – but fear I must.” – Jane Austen
I used to live in a
charming neighborhood called Waverly. When I saw a recipe in the Southern Heritage Cookie
Jar cookbook for “Waverly Jumbles”, I was intrigued but could draw no obvious
connection at the time. Recently, I was pleased to come across this same recipe in the 1907
book “Colonial Recipes, from Old Virginia and Maryland Manors.”
It turns out that this
recipe (probably) originates from the Waverly mansion in Marriottsville, not too far outside the city. Waverly, the neighborhood, must be named for this mansion
then. Nope. As it turns out there are well over 30 places named Waverly or
Waverley around the country, most of which are named after “Waverley,” an 1814
novel by Sir Walter Scott. It seems that this work of historical fiction and the series
of novels that followed were wildly popular in the 1800′s. I’m sure the fact that “Waverly” just
sounds cool played a role.
burgersub.org historical marker photo
Waverly in Marriottsville was first developed by Charles Carroll of Carrolton and was perhaps most notably the home of Maryland governor George Howard, his wife Prudence Gough Ridgely, and their fourteen children. Howard had grown up at Belvidere, later home of Mrs. B. C. Howard (author of “Fifty years in a Maryland Kitchen”). The Ridgely family, you may recall, resided at Hampton mansion.
The governor and his wife carried on the tradition of the plantation lifestyle at Waverly, where Howard “led the life of a country gentleman and a farmer.” Hundreds of people were enslaved at this plantation, where it is said that one of the buildings served as a “slave jail.” Other buildings included a corn crib, overseers house, and a dairy.
The mansion and some of the buildings are still standing, and have been restored. Although the site is not a historical park, it can be rented out for weddings and events. Some of the land is used for a golf course, some for a landfill.
Waverly, Maryland Historical Trust
“Colonial recipes, from old Virginia and Maryland manors, with numerous legends and traditions interwoven,” by Maude A. Bomberger, contains romanticized nostalgia and recipes from Waverly, Hampton, and several other Maryland manors. It is implied that the Waverly Jumbles recipe came from the papers of Mrs. George (Prudence) Howard.
Jumbles are a cookie type dating back to 17th century Europe. Sometimes they were baked into pretzel shapes or braids, and boiled instead of baked. They were a popular treat for travelers because they hold up more or less the same texture for months on
end.
To capitalize on the current wild popularity of President James Monroe(?), recent books have attempted to label Waverly Jumbles as “James Monroe’s favorite cookie.” Apparently a copy of the recipe surfaced in papers of his descendants. Although the rose-water and nutmeg flavorings are decidedly old-fashioned, the recipe doesn’t make any documented appearance until about forty years after his death. In 1872, “Waverly Jumbles” first appeared in the Maryland cookbook “Queen of the Kitchen” by M.L. Tyson and then two years later in Mrs. B.C. Howard’s book (which pilfered many recipes from the former.)
The original recipes were even more vague than Mrs. George Howard’s recipe below, instructing bakers to roll the dough out and “cut with a shape.” Bafflingly, “Fifty Years in a Maryland Kitchen” removed any instruction about rolling or cutting the
dough at all. In 1879, the Tyson recipe was printed in several newspapers around
the country. Each and every one of these recipes completely omits the part
where you actually bake the cookie. Fortunately I had that Southern Heritage
book to fall back on for some guidance on oven temperature.
I can’t finish this entry without pointing out this bizarre urban dictionary entry:
Top Definition
1) Another name for testicles, or balls
2) Jame’s Madison’s favorite type of cookie.
1) Higgins totally racked his waverly jumbles on Alex’s knee when he fell off the yoga ball.
2) Those waverly jumbles we ate in class were so fucking good.
¯_(ツ)_/¯
Recipe:
- 1lb flour
- .5 lb butter
- .75 lb brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 tb rose water
“Roll out long with hands and join in rings (very good).”
Actual directions: Cream butter and sugar, add eggs (beaten) then rosewater and nutmeg. Gradually add flour. Chill dough before rolling out and bake in 350°
oven for about ten minutes, until browned. Cool fully before serving.
Recipe from “Colonial Recipes, from Old Virginia and Maryland Manors“ by Maude A Bomberger
