Culinary History Highlight: Cookery for Patriots

Although I'm a bit late in posting an Independence Day-related item, I felt that it had to be done, especially when I came across Practical American Cookery and Household Management.  One of the digitized items in our Culinary History Collection, this 1885 publication was written by Miss Juliet Corson, a cooking school leader in the late 1800s.  According to the book's preface, Miss Corson carries out a "long-cherished purpose" in publishing this book devoted to American cookery; apparently, her teaching often focused on the cuisine of Europe (particularly France), and the then-United States Commissioner of Education (Hon. John Eaton) suggested that she write a book proving "her assertion that genuine American cookery is both wholesome and palatable, and has lost none of the traditional excellence which characterized it in our grandmothers' days."

If that's not patriotic cookery, then I don't know what is!  The book includes tips and information about American household management, American etiquette, American ways of preparing nearly every type of food, and even suggestions for the "diets of invalids and children."

You can view the physical copy of this book in University Libraries Special Collections, but you can also read the entire book through our digital library:  http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/digital_books/pdf/TX715.C843_1885.pdf.

Enjoy, and Happy (late!) 4th of July!