I have an interesting dilemma regarding the base fats used in Victorian soap. Whilst they vary a huge amount, a large proportion of the recipes use tallow (rendered and purified animal fat) in the mixture.
Now, there is nothing whatsever wrong with good quality tallow as a soapmaking ingredient in its own right. It gives a firm, pale soap with good lathering properties. Its used in a huge number of commercial soaps today. However, using it means that the soap will be inappropriate for use by any vegetarians, which these days is a lot of people.
Obviously I don't want to put people off using the reconstructed soaps, but I do want to retain as accurate a representation of what soap was like in Victorian times as I possibly can. I'm already going to be making some compromises in ingredients where there are unobtainable or ethically problematic things to work round, and I don't really want to alter so many things that the final product only has the most passing resemblance to the original.
As I see it, I have three possible options:
1. Leave it in where a given recipe, taken across every example I can find of it in the documentary evidence, tends to use it more than lets say 60% of the time. That indicates that the average bar of that soap at the time would have contained tallow, and in the interests of authenticity, it probably ought to be there.
2. If a recipe uses all vegetarian fats even some of the time, leave it out. Make the soap recipe without it and make my vegetarian customers happy.
3. Offer two versions of any recipe that contains it. An ultra-authentic version, and a slightly more modernised one. Obviously this means more work.
Would you do me a favour and let me know what you think by voting in the poll to your right?
thank you!
How many different soaps were you planning on making long term? If for example it was 3 i would make 2 with tallow, one without, if it was more, i would make 2/3rds of them with tallow the other 1/3rd veggy
ReplyDeleteLove Sal G (mrsgreeny)
Thats an interesting idea, and may well be a good option. Not sure yet what the final tally will be but probably three or four shaving soaps and three or four toilet soaps, all different scents.
ReplyDeleteokay... in order to be a going concern you should probably make the one that is going to appeal to most people first... I'm going to imagine that's the vegetarian one (and if there are authentic vegetarian recipes then YAY!). Because those of us (me included) who would be buying it for its authenticity more than its soapiness are not going to give you a high volume selling product. So personally I'll want tallow but am happy to wait until you have made tons of dosh on the veggie variety.
ReplyDeleteMake the veggie version as a standard (you'll find even non-veggies will go "yeeerrrkkk" at the thought of washing with animal fat)offer the authentic version as a special order.
ReplyDeleteI suppose one of the questions is how commonly even veggies bother to read the ingredients label on soap let alone non veggies? I've certainly met a fair few who have been quite perplexed when its pointed out that their standard supermarket bought soap isn't vegetarian friendly, so possibly I'm making more of the issue than the average person would? Its the sort of thing that I notice (and I like my meat!)but whether its something others fret about is another matter.
DeleteThis veggie reads labels!
ReplyDeleteI have read labels for vegetarian parent for close to forty years, and frankly, I like that there are more things for him now than there were, but also, I am very very sick of the air of sanctity I sometimes I have to deal with regarding his and other's food choices. Unfortunately, businesses that cater to the vegetarian/vegan audience sometimes adopt a bit of a holier-than-thou attitude which I can so do without. (Not implying at all that you are, or you would, just explaining my response.) So for me, having a choice that is authentic as well as a vegetarian one makes me far more likely to be a customer.
ReplyDeleteHot button topic for me and I am clearly not the typical customer, vegetarian or not, but you did ask, so I hereby answer... I voted for some of each. You gave a specific scheme, but my vote was not wedded to that in particular, just the idea of having both.
Of course if you ever come across a soap recipe which, say, always only used olive oil and it was also period, you make everyone extra happy, but the absence of same should not stop you trying for a broad customer base. In the end, soap is supposed to get things clean, and it is nice to have nice soap, so more nice soap choices is a general good. And nice people making nice things deserve lots of customers, so... both kinds.