Early American Cookery: The Good Housekeeper, 1841

Sarah Josepha Hale, author of "Early American Cookery" was the editor of the "Ladies' Magazine" from 1827 to 1836, and then editor of "Godey's Lady's Book" from 1837 to 1877. If you are interested in the lives of nineteenth-century Americans, most especially what they ate, how they cleaned house, and how they raised their children, this book is a gold mine. In the preface to the first edition of this book, the author quoted foreigners as saying that "our climate is unhealthy; that the Americans have, generally, thin forms, sallow complexions, and bad teeth." However she believed these defects were caused by dietary problems, "such as using animal food to excess, eating hot bread, and swallowing our meals with steam-engine rapidity" rather than a rotten climate This book was written to point out ways that American dietary deficiencies could be corrected. The author wanted to teach her readers "how to live well, and to be well while we live." She based her dietetic theories on the works of Dr. Andrew Combe of Edinburgh, and while some of the principles may seem out-dated to those of us who follow diet gurus such as Dr. Atkins, Jenny Craig, or Barry Sears, this author's notion of 'temperance in all things' is still valid--possibly more valid than starving ourselves with Slim-Fast, or low-fats and high carbs, or grapefruit and cabbage. The author was definitely not a vegetarian. She quoted Scripture to prove that we were meant to eat meat, but in moderation. Most of the recipes in this book involve meat---everything from beef to turtle. For instance, to start a batch of rich mince meat, "Cut the root off a neat's tongue, rub the tongue well with salt, let it lie four days, wash it perfectly clean, and boil it till it becomes tender..." Not only should we make our own bread, but if a barrel of beer is kept in the house, we should make our own yeast. For those of us who don't have that essential barrel of beer, the author also included yeast recipes that are made from milk or hops. One of my favorite chapters is "Household Economy," but a problem with many of the cleaning formulae will be in finding the necessary ingredients. My grandmother probably knew what spirits of salt and pearlash were, but most of us who were born into the age of Comet Cleanser and Mr. Clean wouldn't know a freestone from a quart of bullock's gall. "Early American Cookery" is a fascinating historical document, but I don't think many of us will actually attempt the recipes.