Customer Reviews

The Virginia House-Wife

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The author, Mary Randolph, was a member of the aristocratic Virginian Randolph family, and was reputed to be the best cook in Richmond, Virginia in the early 19th century. This book is regarded by most culinary historians as the first true cookbook of the American South. Randolph provides an introduction to food and customs of old Virginia and includes recipes and serving instructions for a wide range of soups, beef, veal, lamb, mutton, pork, fish, poultry, sauces, vegetables, puddings, creams, preserves, cordials, plus pickling techniques and the making of soaps, cleansers, and perfumes. As such, the book is not only an excellent cookbook, but also an excellent almanac and reference for historians and writers of fiction concered with the ante-bellum South. The recipes herein can easily be translated into today's methods of preparation, with the use of healthy ingredients. As a native Richmonder, this book was a staple in our home when I was growing up, and I can attest to the tastiness of many of the recipes herein.

Karen Hess does a great job of introducing you to the person that was Mary Randolph. She helps us understand the background of cooking and cookbooks in America. For those who are interested in how cooking was handled in the earlydays of the states, or for those cooks who are always looking to try something different - this book has a lot to offer.

this is a most informative book a clear view into the everyday life of the housewife. gives a clear insight as to what people ate and the preperation of .it is a book i will keep among my books i save.to be enjoyed again by myself and guests alike.i have never been other than satisfied with items purchased through amazon.com items are exactly as stated in discription

My husband asked me to order this book for him. He is very interested in history and liked this book. He has asked me to order one for his 89 yr old mother for Mother's Day.

I never knew the founding fathers ate so good! I picked up this book at a recent visit to Monticello (Thomas Jefferson's plantation) as a souvenir after being especially impressed by the old kitchen facilities there. I have to say I was blown away by the variety of the recipes. 19th century American food was infamously bland (a trend that just began to break in the late 20th century as evidenced by the advent of "celebrity chefs") so I had no idea that the colonials had such a broad and adventurous palate. I was expecting your basic meat and potatoes kind of stuff but I was greeted with gazpacho, a variety of curries, hot chili infused vinegars(!), gumbo and seafood recipes.

Published in 1824 this book was a compendium of southern American culinary knowledge up to that point. Knowledge that was largely lost by the general public during the ensuing industrial revolution. Industrialized mass production gave our country it's might but by applying those concepts to our food we lost a lot of that food's charm. I'm glad that we Americans are becoming braver and bolder eaters every year and this book lends credence to the notion that bold and exiting food was part of our heritage all along!

A word of warning. These aren't your typical modern recipes i.e. a cup of this and a tablespoon of that. Each recipe is basically a paragraph briefly explaining what you need to do and Mrs. Randolph assumed the reader would already have some proficiency in the kitchen. For instance, the recipe 'To Make a Dish of Curry After the East Indian Manner' you are instructed to fricassee a chicken. You all know how to do that right? Mrs. Randolph assumes you do.

Even if you aren't well versed in old school culinary terminology and aren't comfortable attempting the recipes, this book is still a highly informative and entertaining look into the eating habits of America's forefathers. I highly recommend it!

This book is a facsimile of the 1824 original with two subsequent editions (1828 i believe and 1832? Don't have the book on me at the moment...) included. Terrific and forward-looking intro by Karen Hess (hell, her intro could have been written in 2011 considering current interest in localism/regionalism).

Recipes give the reader a unique insight into the self-sufficient home (prob. more accurate to say plantations or upper middle class homestead) and American Cookery before the widespread adoption of the gas stove in the late 1800's.