Manuscript Cookbooks Survey
Manuscript cookbooks often provide a fuller, more accurate account of historical cooking practices than printed cookbooks. Therefore, these books have long been considered critical documents for culinary historians and other researchers whose work impinges on the workings of the home. However, for a variety of reasons, these books are often difficult to find in libraries and other public institutions that possess them, such as historical societies and historic sites. The core feature of Manuscript Cookbooks Survey is a database of English-language manuscript cookbooks begun by 1865 that are held by publicly accessible U.S. institutions. The database is searchable by holding institution or by period/place. Each entry includes the manuscript’s date, place of origin, authorship (if known), and its general contents, along with links to the manuscript’s library record and digital facsimile, if available. The site also includes a database of kitchen implements in use prior to 1865, a longform blog, adaptations of historic recipes referenced in the blog, essays and other material supplementary to the blog, and a glossary of historic culinary terms.
Szilvia Szmuk-Tanenbaum (created by)
Stephen Schmidt (created by)
Stephen Schmidt (created by)