Stirring the Pot with Benjamin Franklin: A Founding Father's Culinary Adventures

by Rae Katherine Eighmey

In this remarkable work, Rae Katherine Eighmey presents Franklin's delight and experimentation with food throughout his life. At age sixteen, he began dabbling in vegetarianism. In his early twenties, citing the health benefits of water over alcohol, he convinced his printing-press colleagues to abandon their traditional breakfast of beer and bread for "water gruel," a kind of tasty porridge he enjoyed. Franklin is known for his scientific discoveries, including electricity and the lightning rod, and his curiosity and logical mind extended to the kitchen. He even conducted an electrical experiment to try to cook a turkey and installed a state-of-the-art oven for his beloved wife Deborah. Later in life, on his diplomatic missions--he lived fifteen years in England and nine in France--Franklin ate like a local. Eighmey discovers the meals served at his London home-away-from-home and analyzes his account books from Passy, France, for insights to his farm-to-fork diet there. Yet he also longed for American foods; Deborah, sent over favorites including cranberries, which amazed his London kitchen staff. He saw food as key to understanding the developing culture of the United States, penning essays presenting maize as the defining grain of America. Stirring the Pot with Benjamin Franklin conveys all of Franklin's culinary adventures, demonstrating that Franklin's love of food shaped not only his life but also the character of the young nation he helped build.

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, Biography

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 16, 2018

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as much food content as I was expecting, and quite a bit more Benjamin Franklin content — which isn't a bad thing. The information about Franklin's personal life and travels was quite interesting. I'll have to give this a second look if I'm feeling adventurous when cooking one day.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting mishmash of genres - part biography, part cookbook, part culinary history (is that a genre?), part social commentary about the times Benjamin Franklin lived in. It could have used a good editor, because although the book progressed in a more or less historically linear fashion, there were several incidents of certain facts, dates, and events being mentioned repeatedly over several chapters. It seemed like it could have been streamlined. That being said, I enjoyed the book and it piqued my interest in Benjamin Franklin. I realized that I really only know him from his later years and his Revolutionary War activities. Well, I had heard about the famous Kite Incident. Which, incidentally, is described in detail in this book.
If you're not at all interested in discussions of menus and recipes, and how people in the 18th Century used to shop, store, and prepare food, you might just want to go to a more straightforward biography of Franklin. I found I rather enjoyed this approach.
I listened to the audiobook, read capably by Pam Ward.

[Libby Beyreis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was trying to be too many things at once: a biography, a culinary history, and a cookbook. I think the book would have benefited from a little bit more focus - the little bits of each type of book were interesting, but on the whole, it left me unsatisfied in all the categories. There was a little bit too much fantasy going on in the book for it to pass for pure history, particularly in the connection of the recipes to the events of Franklin's life, and the biography of his early life. I would have preferred to have read just a biography, or just a culinary history, or just an 18th century cookbook.

[Michelle King-Best · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trying to put too much in one book. Personal tidbits and history good, wished for more recipes as it was marketed more as a cookbook than a biography
. Some books can be both, but didn’t feel this one pulled it off

[Elaine Selfridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was fascinated. Couldn’t put it down. Not that it was wonderfully written and I found a bunch of typos, but that it introduced ideas about Franklin and food that I didn’t know.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed looking at American colonial-era cooking with Ben Franklin as the focus. The author took some liberties, but it was enjoyable and well-researched.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook: well researched engaging story about Ben through food. What a fun book!

[CairoErica · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[David Brinkman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great historical piece! An extraordinary life, supported by good writing with interesting nods to cuisine.