Martha Washington's Booke of Cookery and Booke of Sweetmeats

by Martha Washington, Karen Hess (Editor)

Martha Washington's More than five hundred classics dating from the Elizabethan and Jacobean times, are gathered in this family cookbook that captures the essence of early American folk culture. Handed down as a manuscript cookbook for generations, Martha Washington's Booke of Cookery has been annotated by Karen Hess, a noted culinary historian and cook. "Amerian cookery is a tapestry of extraordinary complex design, reflecting out rich and varied ethnic origins, our New World produce, and our frontier history," writes Hess in her introduction. For the historian, she documents early American cookery with prose and photographs of Washington's original manuscript and an appendix detailing extensive primary-source research. For the cook, she explains terms and techniques unfamiliar to the modern kitchen, showing how to make old fashioned recipes the traditional way, such as rose petal vinegar, Oxford Kate's sausages, roast capon with oysters, mince pie, fried pudding, almond butter ginger bread, and apple cider. In paperback for the first time, Martha Washington's Booke of Cookery is both a significant primary resource for historians and the perfect gift for enthusiastic cooks and fans of the culinary arts.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, History, Reference, Nonfiction, Food

Paperback

First published March 1, 1981

About the author

Martha Dandridge Custis Washington was the wife of George Washington, the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, Martha Washington is considered to be the first First Lady of the United States. During her lifetime, she was known as "Lady Washington."

Reviews

[Laura Willyard]

Great resource of culinary 17&18 th cent Culinary history.

[Fredrick Danysh]

Recipes from the kitchen of Martha Washington and Mount Vernon written in the language and style of the times. It also contains household tips. The transcriber inserted notes to define terms and customs. The work provides an insight into the dietary history of the time.

[April]

I love old recipe books. This one is very interesting. You can make the recipes, even though it would take a lot of work.

[Nicole Perkins]

I may try to find a copy of this. Like the Jane Austen Cookbook, it has more research value than practical use, but still an interesting read.