Oh, how lucky we are to be living in the 21st century!
Love, love, love these two recent antique cookbook finds — they are fascinating to read and would make a great addition to any collection. But to cook from them? Maybe not.
Letters to a Young Housekeeper, 1892, by Marie Hansen-Taylor advises the new bride that “our forefathers, the Anglo-Saxons, knew in the dark ages that vegetables by themselves are poor food. They like them best accompanied by milk, butter and cheese.“ Hmmm, perhaps that explains the life expectancy of 50!
Practical Cooking and Dinner Giving, 1891, by Mary F. Henderson is similarly heavy on the high calorie foods and also incredibly vague with the instructions. One recipe for wafers instructs the cook to start with “a piece of butter the size of a hickory nut and a scant teacupful of flour”. If you make it through the entire recipe, then you get to “bake it until done in a hot oven“. Good luck!
