Historical Food by Cookbook
Many of the recipes on this blog have been discovered while thumbing through the various cookbooks on my shelf at home. A few of these are proper treasures, with handwritten notes tucked throughout, as well as a variety of other time capsule-like bits of newspapers and clippings.
This is the page to showcase those cookbooks. Follow the links straight to the recipes, or click on the names of the books to explore a bit of what they have to offer. You won’t be disappointed.
Sources:
4th C. CE – De Re Coquinaria, by Apicius
- Pinenut Pudding, forthcoming
1588 - The Good Huswifes Handmaide for the Kitchin
1604 – Elinor Fettiplace’s Receipt Book
- Candied Sweet Potatoes - with rosewater syrup
1631 - A Curious Treatise of the Nature and Quality of Chocolate
- Historical Hot Chocolate - with chili, vanilla bean, ground nuts, and other quirky ingredients
1655 – Compleat Cook, by Anonymous
- meaty poached eggs, forthcoming
1798 – American Cookery, by Amelia Simmons
- Emptins - colonial sourdough starter with hops water
- Butter Biscuits
1887 – Dr. Chase’s Receipt Book, by A.W. Chase (see book)
- Cider Cake
- Love Knots for Tea
- Carrageen Pudding
- Rarebit
- Salt Rising Bread
1890s – Mrs. Rorer’s Philadelphia Cookbook, by Sarah Rorer (see book)
1890s – The Way to a Man’s Heart, by my family, and women of Elmira NY (see book)
- Hotel McAlpin Cream Puffs
- Aunt Em’s Doughnuts
- Eggless, Butterless, Milkless Cake
- Mother McCann’s Lemon Pie
- Banana Fritters