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Revolutionary Cooking: Over 200 Recipes Inspired by Colonial Meals Hardcover – January 2, 2014

by Virginia T. Elverson (Author), Mary Ann McLanahan (Author), Betty T. Duson (Illustrator)

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Ranging from the simple to the sumptuous, here are over 200 recipes for modern Americans inspired by dishes and beverages the authors discovered in cookbooks, family journals, and notebooks of 150 to 250 years ago.

Did you know that breakfast in the eighteenth century was typically a mug of beer and some mush and molasses, invariably taken on the run? That settlers enjoyed highly spiced foods and the taste of slightly spoiled meat? Or that, at first, Colonists didn’t understand how to make tea and instead stewed the tea leaves in butter, threw out what liquid collected, and munched on the leaves? These peculiar facts precede tried and tested recipes, some of which include:

· Cold grapefruit soup

· Tweedy family steak and kidney pie

· Madras artichokes

· Sour rabbit and potato dumplings

· Apple-shrimp curry

· Pumpkin chiffon pie

· Lemon flummery

· And much more

Each chapter of recipes is introduced with accounts of how early Americans breakfasted, dined, drank, and entertained. The illustrations of utensils, tankards, porringers, and pots used in the early days are drawn from actual objects in major private and public collections of early Americana and make Colonial Cooking a great resource for American history enthusiasts.

Print length

192 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Skyhorse
Publication date

January 2, 2014
Dimensions

22.86 x 0.8 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

1626364168
ISBN-13

978-1626364165
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Virginia T. Elverson, Mary Ann McLanahan, and Betty T. Duson were members of the Houston Museum of Fine Arts and its Bayou Bend Collection of American Decorative Arts. In addition to their research in preparation of this book, they studied and lectured in the field of early American furnishings and life-styles. Virginia Elverson died in 2011 in Texas, Betty Duson died in 2003 in Texas, and Mary Ann McLanahan lives in Texas.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Skyhorse; 1st edition (January 2, 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1626364168
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1626364165
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 22.86 x 0.8 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,315,851 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,914 in Gastronomy History (Books)
- #7,270 in U.S. Regional Cooking, Food & Wine

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James J.

Fine addition to any cookbook library

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 3, 2017

Verified Purchase

Lots of historical tidbits besides recipes adapted from the colonial period. Fine addition to any cookbook library.

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Charemor

An interesting collection of recipes, but I have my ...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 18, 2014

Verified Purchase

An interesting collection of recipes, but I have my doubts as to how authentic to the Revolutionary War period some of them actually are.

3 people found this helpful

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IdaMae Devers

Three Stars

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 14, 2015

wasok

A 1970s Take on Early American Cuisine

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 19, 2014

Reprinted from the original printing done in 1975 this cookbook slash history book has both pros and cons. The authors stated goal is "...to entertain the reader with highlights of American culinary heritage and to provide a collection of recipes, adapted from early sources, which are both delicious and practical."

The book is divided into six chapters: The Way it Was, Breakfast, Dinner, Supper and Tea, Drinking, Entertainment. The last five all begin with some history and descriptions before showcasing a multitude of recipes. This history aspect is where I had my biggest issues. The terms "colonial" and "revolutionary" are not defined and the authors tend to use a broader time frame than I might have preferred with recipes being noted from as late as 1860. Also, while there is a bibliography, there are no notes so statements are made with little way to validate what has been written. For example in the chapters on Drinking and Entertainment a reader might be left with the impression that the colonies were one large drinking party. The idea of wealth and what might be considered the norm for the time is somewhat blurred as well. There is considerable mention of "niceties" that could lead a reader to think life was easier than it really was.

I did however find some interesting history included. There is a nice discussion on the distinction between dinner and supper. The saying "mind your p's and q's" is also discussed and defined. For those wondering the authors claim it comes from closing time at local taverns. The patrons finished off their pint or quarts (p's and q's) and headed out into the night. The problem being there are no notes to see where the authors picked this story up from.

The heart of the book however are the recipes. Most recipes are less than a full page with a full listing of ingredients and instructions. These recipes are adapted to more modern times (remember it's the mid 1970s so there are still some oddities here like using canned salmon rather than a fresh or frozen filet). Some recipes contain limited information on where they came from and some do not. The directions appear to be pretty straightforward though it might have been interesting to see the original recipe as well as the adapted version.

This piece is stronger as a cookbook than a historical work on cooking of the era. If you are interested in trying adaptions of early American recipes this is a book you should consider. If you are interested in a true culinary history of colonial America you should look elsewhere.

4 people found this helpful

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Erica

Good for reading, not for recipes

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 5, 2020

Would give it less than one star if I could.
Was very excited to try out this book. One recipe in and I have lost hope: the spoon bread. Other recipes you'll find online have much less egg and much more cornmeal but I trusted this recipe, huge mistake. I'm apprehensive to try other recipes.
On the upside there is some good reading here if you're into the history.
Picture is after I mixed it, nothing but soupy egg in the middle

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Revolutionary Cooking: Over 200 Recipes Inspired by Colonial Meals Hardcover – January 2, 2014

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