Traditional American cooking is rooted in the cultures of its earliest inhabitants and immigrants, and the abundance of the land itself.
The Early American Cookbook, by Dr. Kristie Lynn and Robert W. Pelton (Publisher - William H. McCauley), presents a nice blend of these cultures and the practicalities of living in a large, diverse country.
The history, personalities, techology and art of cooking are all covered throughout this book; cool stories about ealry Americans and how they prepared and at their food. Better yet, the authors chose recipes not only with historical significance but those appropriate for today's modern kitchens. You can actually make this stuff!
Consider this recipe for
Sir John Wentworth's Colonial Onion Soope:
Cut a plate full of this slices of Bread, and sett them before ye fire to Crisp. Then cutt about half a Dozen of Middle Size Onions into bits, boyle half a pound of Butter Stiring it well till it be very red and have done frothing and then put ye Onions to it, and boyle them till they begin to turn Blackish, Still stirring of them, to this put about 2 quarts of water, and thicken it with 2 yolks of Egg, then break ye Bread into small pieces and put it in with Some Spice and a little Salt, when it is ready pour in some Lemon Juce, or a Spoonfull or two of Vinegar if ye like it.
Wow. Was that whole recipe only two sentences?
The chapters in the book are also indicative of what awaits you:
- Authentic Colonial Cookery
- The Jefferson Family
- Indian Style Food Preparation
- America's Earliest Cooking School
- many other chapters
At the end are two very interesting chapters which alone make purchasing this book worthwhile: Bibliography of Interesting Old Cookbooks, and Old-Time Measurements.
The authors are a husband-and-wife team from Tennessee with a passion for American cooking history. This book is well-researched and easy to follow. They took care to compile great stories along with recipes you can actually make at home. I found it
available on Amazon for $14 today. Enjoy!
