The Thirteen Colonies Cookbook

You probably have concluded that I have an attraction to “old” cookbooks and cookbooks about “old” food. I have always found the cookbooks are one of the best ways to peak into history and learn about the daily life of our ancestors … certainly of our female ancestors.

I picked up this little gem online for not very much money. It arrived today. I am in love!

The book is unique in that it describes foods and menus from the kitchen of aristocratic women of the late 18th century. Not only do you get recipes (somewhat updated for 20th century cooking), you also learn about women who managed home and hearth during our Nation’s birth. It’s fascinating. 

Menus of parties held in honor of men like President Washington provide insight into how we entertained then.

Recipes like “Flowers and Fruit in White Wine Jelly” give us a glimpse of how women used ingredients from the land in everyday cooking. As a society, we don’t do that anymore.

Then there are recipes like “Garden Soup for Supper” and “Corn Cakes” that remind me just how much food heritage my own family really has carried forward and passed down through generations. I was raised on food like this! 

I’m looking forward to preparing (and maybe tweaking) recipes from this cookbook and sharing my adventures with you!