History in
Cookbooks
March 13thand
17th, 2005
Morsels of history can be found anywhere, if we consciously look for them. Have you ever purchased a cookbook, old or new, and read the introduction or forward? Throughout the centuries, this part of a cookbook has reflected the era in which it was written. I hope this special exhibit gives everyone a new awareness that historical information, which has affected our daily lives, can be found in the least likely places, if we only look. --- Bonnie A. Shockey
“History in Cookbooks” is the
title of the March special exhibit. The basics of life include food and water,
shelter, and clothing. In the United States, during modern times, radio and TV
commercials, advertisements in magazines and newspapers, and billboards along
the roadside seem to have made eating the national pastime. The introduction of
smorgasbords in restaurants and the double cheese burger were some of the first
commercial enticements which have led to the over-sizing of Americans. In “The
Joy of Cooking” 1964 edition, the brownie recipe, baked in a 9” x 13” pan,
yields about 30 brownies. Just 27 years later in the 1991 edition of “The Joy
of Cooking,” the brownie recipe, baked in the same sized pan, says it yields
about 16 brownies.
Along with
societal history, world history events have also affected the daily menus of
American families. During World War II in “The Alice Bradley Menu-Cook-Book,”
the May 1945 edition lists the following as rationed foods: sugar, coffee,
canned fruits and vegetables, canned and dried soups, fresh and canned meat,
cheese, canned fish, butter, margarine, lard, and other cooking fats and oils.
In addition, cream was thin instead of thick, and fresh milk was replaced more
often with evaporated, condensed, or dried milk. Tea, cocoa, chocolate, spices,
flavorings and condiments were not readily available.
Honey,
molasses, corn syrup, and maple syrup were used as sugar substitutes in recipes
or the quantity of sugar in some recipes was simply lessened. Fresh vegetables
from Victory gardens or the market replaced canned vegetables when available.
This particular cookbook did advise to use ration coupons to purchase canned
tomato puree, juice, catsup, or chili sauce for color, flavor and vitamins.
Fewer ration coupons were needed to purchase dried beans versus canned beans.
It was
recommended to use fresh salmon and other fish, steamed, in place of canned
salmon
and tuna, which were being used by the Army. Under oils, fats, butter
and margarine, the author advised, “Save all fat that you cannot use and return
it to your butcher to be made into ammunition.”
The section on wartime cookery ends with the following: “Keep constantly in mind these suggestions from the U.S. Food Administration: Buy and prepare only what you need. Plant a Victory garden. Raise chickens or pigs or keep a cow if you can. Buy what is plentiful, especially wheat. Use fresh vegetables and fruits. Follow nutrition rules. Cooperate on rationing rules. Remember that food is a weapon.”
American
Indians were the first inhabitants of the North American Continent. In the
different parts of the country, they adapted their diets to what was available.
There were farmers in the
east and southwest, fishermen in the northwest portion
of what is now the United States and in Canada. There were seed gatherers in
California and the Great Basin area. In the Plains area, the Indians were
hunters.
“Corn – America’s most important native food – plays a recurring role in history. First cultivated by the Indians, it sustained waves of colonists, pioneers, and nation builders. Now it feeds the world.
Corn is rice to Asians, wheat to the English, oats or barley to the European, and corn or maize to the Americans. Actually, the term “corn” refers to the principal grain of any country. The Indian maize that Columbus found cultivated in the New World had been harvested for more than 2,000 years. Had the Italian explorer ventured inland he would have been surprised at the wide variety of corn hybrids the sophisticated North American Indian farmers had developed.” Heritage Cook Book, Better Homes and Gardens
The cultural
melting pot of America has also influenced what has been placed on the tables of
American families for hundreds of years. In this area, the Pennsylvania German
cuisine greatly influenced our daily meals and waistlines. The English, Irish,
Italians, French, Eastern European, and many other cultures make up our country.
Ethnic restaurants have been good things, introducing the flavors of unfamiliar
cuisine to our palates. Tasting and learning about the cuisine of our neighbors
and their cultures become part of the process of getting to know others who are
different than we are. Learning to know others leads to understanding and
tolerance.
The preface of Exotic Recipes of India, copyright 1960, says it best. “Through the conquest of space and time, the earth we live on has lost its distance. Cross cultural flows have brought races and nations into one human family. In order to live in this New World with better understanding and least friction, we have to mix more freely with alien cultural traits. Among the vital links, food habits are a few that bring people of diverse backgrounds into closer and better relations.”
Of course, we cannot forget the family recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation. These special recipes are as much a part of each family’s history as the name of the family, origin of the family, when they came to America and where they settled. Each time the recipes are shared, they are a reminder of who we are.
A variety of cookbooks that are on loan from museum members are on exhibit. They include, among many others, The Joy of Cooking, The Good Housekeeping Cookbook, the Rumford Recipe Book, Mennonite Community Cookbook, Heritage Cook Book, Pressure Cooking, Radiation Cookery Book (written specifically for Regulo Gas Cooker ranges), See Rome and Eat, Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book, the Accomplished Gentlewoman’s Companion (early Virginia recipes), and the Bull Cook and Authentic Historical Recipes and Practices. The last book listed is a very interesting book which gives recipes for preparing moose, bear, antelope, pheasant, wild duck, rabbit, squirrel, a Scandinavian recipe for fish tongues, and the Native American method for preserving tomatoes, which are only indigenous to North and Central America. Visitors will also have an opportunity to taste some recipes from the various cookbooks.
With special thanks to Hermione H. Brewer, Mike Burger, James H. Craig Jr., Jenine Grove, Felicia Hollingshead, Sandra Peletier, Jodi Plum, Anna Shockey, Mary Jo Sprankle, and Bonnie Shockey for the loan of cookbooks and preparation of food.