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Historical Cookbooks


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Can anyone recommend any historical cookbooks or websites? Its not for a curriculum but something I'm personally interested in.  By historical I mean anything prior to the 1800s but Medieval, Victorian and Renaissance recipes are what I'd really like to get my hands on. Contrary to my ambitions I am not a chef so nothing too complicated.

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The Colonial Williamsburg website has lots of great videos about colonial cooking and some recipes. I also have a copy of the _Old Sturbridge Village Cookbook_ that I like. It includes colonial and modern techniques for all its recipes and is easy to use.

 

Edited to add this link to the video podcasts.  Look for the ones called Colonial Recipes.

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Thank you, all these resources look fantastic! Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management is free on kindle so that is nice. My DH just left for school this morning for 6 weeks so I figured it will be a good time to pursue another passion lol. He saw me looking over the youtube videos and said "English accents?.......and no electricity?.....I see you'll be just fine without me" The activity links I think will prove to be very helpful in convincing my kids that trying these recipes will be fun and not just something to be endured my a mother who has gone a bit mad.

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That looks fun.


It is fun, Rosie! I love to see what folks considered feasting back in old New Orleans, with its rich foodie history. So many cultures melding food traditions - country French, aristocratic French, Spanish, English, Caribbean, African, Native American - you can find it all in New Orleans cuisine. I have learned a few things about old time measures, too. Any of you know what a gill is? That was a new one for me.
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I know there was an episode of Dinner Impossible where the guy went to Colonial Williamsburg.  http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/dinner-impossible/series-1/back-in-time-ye-ol146-dinner-impossible.html

 

I have Mrs. Beeton's. :)

 

500 years of Ottoman Cuisine http://www.amazon.com/Years-Ottoman-Cuisine-Marianna-Yerasimos/dp/9752301614

 

NOVA Ancient Roman Recipes http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/roman-recipes.html

 

More ancient culture recipes http://archive.archaeology.org/online/features/food/

 

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What kind of half a cup? Isn't an American half cup different to a metric half cup?

 

American.  I really shouldn't say USian. :)

 

Edited to add that I don't think the difference between metric and US cups is very much when it's just 1/2 cup.  

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There's a companion cookbook to Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander series called Lobscouse and Spotted Dog that is worth checking out. I think the novels start around 1800, but many of the recipes were along the lines of what was served on sea-going vessels mentioned in the books. 

http://www.amazon.com/Lobscouse-Spotted-Dog-Gastronomic-Companion/dp/0393045595/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1-fkmr0&qid=1396915068

 

Not a cookbook, but I highly recommend the book Food in History by Reay Tannahill.

http://www.amazon.com/Food-History-Reay-Tannahill/dp/0517884046/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396915507&sr=8-1&keywords=food+in+history

 

The Potato: How the Humble Spud Rescued the Western World by Larry Zuckerman is another good read.

http://www.amazon.com/Potato-Humble-Rescued-Western-World/dp/0865475784/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396915632&sr=1-8&keywords=potato

 

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Yes! I have the Lobscouse and Spotted Dog cookbook and it is a great read. I haven't tried the recipes yet but many of them look quite tasty.

 

 

And the shows done by Lucy Worsley are so worth watching - lots of fascinating information and it is all presented in such an entertaining way.

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