Old West Cooking Terms

You may think some of these terms are made up, but I remember my mother using many of these terms as she would try to teach us kids to cook. My mother was a wonderful cook who had learned on a woodstove. But she wasn't big on printed recipes until she was older. She just put in a bit of this and a whole heap of that. She knew what she meant.

Here are some terms you would run into while traveling Out West in the 1800’s.


Passle ..........................................1/2 tsp
Pittance .......................................1/3 tsp
Dib ..............................................1/3 tsp
Crumble ......................................1/8 tsp
A Wave At It ............................1/16 tsp
Glob................................................1 tsp
Bit................................................3/4 tsp
Bitty.............................................1/2 tsp
LI’L Bitty....................................1/4 tsp
Lump............................................1 tbsp
Good Lump....................................2 tsp
Heap............................Rounded Cupful
Whole Heap............2 Rounded Cupfuls
Bunch.........................................6 Items