Buffalo Cake and Indian Pudding


Book Description

Travelling physician, salesman, author and self-made man, Dr Chase dispensed remedies all over America during the late nineteenth century, collecting recipes and domestic tips from the people he met along the way. His self-published books became celebrated US bestsellers and were the household Bibles of their day. Containing recipes for American-style treats, such as Boston cream cakes, Kentucky Corn Dodgers and pumpkin pie, as well as genial advice on baking bread and testing whether a cake is cooked, this is a treasure trove of culinary wisdom from the homesteads of a still rural, pioneering United States.




A Little Dinner Before the Play


Book Description

Whether extolling the merits of a cheerful breakfast tray, conjuring up a winter picnic of figs and mulled wine, sharing delicious Tuscan recipes, or suggesting a last-minute pre-theatre dinner, the sparkling writings of the society hostess and philanthropist Agnes Jekyll describe food for every imaginable occasion and mood. Originally published in The Times in the early 1920s, these divinely witty and brilliantly observed pieces are still loved today for their warmth and friendly advice and, with their emphasis on fresh, simple, stylish dishes, were years ahead of their time.




The Campaign for Domestic Happiness


Book Description

Firmly of the belief that a home should be run as an efficient military campaign, Mrs Beeton, the doyenne of English cookery, offers timeless tips on selecting cuts of meat, throwing a grand party and hosting a dinner, as well as giving suggestions on staff wages and the cost of each recipe. With such delicious English classics as rabbit pie, carrot soup, baked apple custard, and fresh lemonade - as well as invalid's jelly for those days when stewed eels may be a little too much - this is a wonderful collection of food writing from the matriarch of modern housekeeping.




A Dissertation Upon Roast Pig & Other Essays


Book Description

A rapturous appreciation of pork crackling, a touching description of hungry London chimney sweeps, a discussion of the strange pleasure of eating pineapple and a meditation on the delights of Christmas feasting are just some of the subjects of these personal, playful writings from early nineteenth-century essayist Charles Lamb. Exploring the joys of food and also our complicated social relationship with it, these essays are by turns sensuous, mischievous, lyrical and self-mocking. Filled with a sense of hunger, they are some of the most fascinating and nuanced works ever written about eating, drinking and appetite.




The Chef at War


Book Description

The flamboyant Frenchman Alexis Soyer was the most renowned chef in Victorian England. This is his colourful account of his time at the front in the Crimean War, where he joined British troops in order to improve the quality of the food they were eating. Divulging the secrets of preparing stew for 1000 soldiers, sharing sweetmeats with a Turkish Pacha, and teaching a Highland regiment to cook with his pioneering gas-fuelled 'field stove' that would be used by armies up until the Second World War, Soyer gives a vividly enjoyable lesson in making a little go a long way.




Everlasting Syllabub and the Art of Carving


Book Description

Writing for domestic servants in a conversational, accessible way, eighteenth-century housewife Hannah Glasse disapproved of French terminology and fussiness, instead favouring simple dishes that are still cooked today - a preference that has earned her the reputation of 'the first Domestic Goddess'. With recipes for rice pudding, beef rump, barbecued pork, trifle and even the first recipe in Britain for 'Curry the Indian way', as well as tips for choosing your ingredients and cures for the bite of a mad dog, this is an elegant and economical collection of recipes and housekeeping tips to save any homemaker 'a great deal of trouble'.




Exciting Food for Southern Types


Book Description

Pellegrino Artusi is the original icon of Italian cookery, whose legendary 1891 book Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well defined its national cuisine and is still a bestseller today. He was also a passionate gastronome, renowned host and brilliant raconteur, who filled his books with tasty recipes and rumbustious anecdotes. From an unfortunate incident regarding Minestrone in Livorno and a proud defence of the humble meat loaf, to digressions on the unusual history of ice-cream, the side-effects of cabbage and the Florentines' weak constitutions, these writings brim with gossip, good cheer and an inexhaustible zest for life.




From Absinthe to Zest: An Alphabet for Food Lovers


Book Description

As well as being the author of The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas was also an enthusiastic gourmand and expert cook. His Grand Dictionnaire de Cuisine, published in 1873, is an encyclopaedic collection of ingredients, recipes and anecdotes, from Absinthe to Zest via cake, frogs' legs, oysters, Roquefort and vanilla. Included here are recipes for bamboo pickle and strawberry omelette, advice on cooking all manner of beast from bear to kangaroo brought together in a witty and gloriously eccentric culinary compendium.




A Taste of the Sun


Book Description

Legendary cook and writer Elizabeth David changed the way Britain ate, introducing a postwar nation to the sun-drenched delights of the Mediterranean, and bringing new flavours and aromas such as garlic, wine and olive oil into its kitchens. This mouthwatering selection of her writings and recipes embraces the richness of French and Italian cuisine, from earthy cassoulets to the simplest spaghetti, as well as evoking the smell of buttered toast, the colours of foreign markets and the pleasures of picnics. Rich with anecdote, David's writing is defined by a passion for good, authentic, well-balanced food that still inspires chefs today.




Notes from Madras


Book Description

Colonel Wyvern, stationed with the army in Madras during the height of British imperial rule, opened a cookery school upon his return to England and was a passionate enthusiast for both European and Indian cuisine. In these vivid, common-sense and entertaining writings, he gives advice on re-creating French classics in the steaming heat; describes tiffin parties and cooking while at camp; and laments the declining popularity of curry in the Raj, providing foolproof recipes for curry powder, tamarind chutney, korma and 'mulligatunny' soup. With devotees including Elizabeth David, Wyvern's unique brand of anglo-Indian cookery is still reflected in the way we eat today.