Historical Cookbooks

topic posted Sun, February 25, 2007 - 11:44 AM by  Melodious
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I'm looking for recommendations on published, currently available cookbooks from any historical period (not books on food history, but usable cookbooks).

I have a few standard medieval European cookbooks that have been useful, but I'd like some new ideas.
posted by:
Melodious
Seattle
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  • Re: Historical Cookbooks

    Sun, February 25, 2007 - 1:06 PM
    You might want to find the book "Gourmet's France" published by Gourmet Books Inc. in New York. The original printing was in 1982. Also if you can find "Bouquet of France", which is Samuel Chamberlain's definitive tribute to the pleasures that welcomed travellers to post- World War Two France. You may want to sorse these authors : Gerald Asher,Naomi Barry, Doone Beal,Lillian Langseth-Christensen, Peter and Fanny Todd Mitchel, and Joseph Wechsberg.
    • Re: Historical Cookbooks

      Fri, March 2, 2007 - 10:57 AM
      You may know those books, but they seem interesting enough to be mentioned:

      Apicius: Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome. Edited and Translated by Joseph Dommers Vehling. This is the first English translation of Apicius de re Coquinaria, the oldest known cookbook in existence.

      The Neapolitan Recipe Collection: Cuoco Napoletano Feasting as a window into medieval Italian culture By Terence Scully . Outstanding among these early cookbooks is the one written by an anonymous master cook in Naples toward the end of the 15th century. In its 220 recipes, we can trace not only the Italian culinary practice of the day but also the very refined taste brought by the Catalan royal family when they ruled Naples.

      The Medieval Kitchen: Recipes from France and Italy . By Odile Redon, Francoise Sabban and Silvano Serventi. Translated by Edward Schneider. Original line drawings by Patricia Glee Smith. More than a mere cookbook, The Medieval Kitchen vividly depicts the context and tradition of authentic medieval cookery.

      found on this site:
      www.foodbooks.com/italian.htm

      good luck
      • Re: Historical Cookbooks

        Sat, March 3, 2007 - 10:13 PM
        Thanks you two! Great recommendations. If anyone has more, please keep 'em coming.
        • Re: Historical Cookbooks

          Mon, March 5, 2007 - 3:36 AM
          I can endorse The Medieval Kitchen as very worthwhile.

          There are several Chineese cookbooks that offer a historic perspective, but titles escape me at the moment. I'll post them later when I remember (or when I look them up: this will bug me all day -smile-)
  • Re: Historical Cookbooks

    Wed, March 14, 2007 - 5:18 PM
    I don't know if this is the kind of thing that you are looking for but James Beard's "American Cookery" reprints a number of recipes from early American cookbook writers - Mrs. Rorer, Mrs. Lincoln, etc.

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