We're always fascinated by old cookbooks. Even cookbooks from just 30 or 40 years ago give a window into the cultural trends and idiosyncracies of the time. We recently found this 1971 edition of the The Omelette Book by Narcissa Chamberlain at a used bookstore and happily bought it as a fun gift for a friend who is just crazy about omelettes.
Some of the recipes look delicious, like the Squash Blossom or Spanish omelettes, and the Mussel Omelette with Tomato Sauce. Others are hard to imagine in a contemporary cookbook. Sweet Mousseline, for instance. We found the recipe for this Iraq Walnut Omelette especially curious...
The old cooking pamphlets often put out by food companies (Jell-o, Calumet Baking Powder) or food boards (the Pork Council, America's Beef Ranchers) make great wedding shower gifts if you pair them with some kitchen items. They can be picked up for $1 or $2 each at used book stores, garage sales, or antique malls. The kitschier the cover the better!
view Tobermory's profile
Old regional cookbooks also make for an entertaining look at local history, including what "eat locally" meant before long-distance produce shipping put fresh vegetables in the markets year-round.
My beloved copy of Roundup Recipes (1951) assures the uninitiated that traditional gringo Arizona cooking consists of beef, beans, more beans, more beef, biscuits, more beans, chili (both with and without beef), BEEF, and (for variety) venison. The vegetable chapter is short, laconic, and focused on root veg; the salad chapter says up-front that it contains no authentic recipes whatever, just the jello-infused fantasies of the contributors.
view wende in the twin cities's profile
The Omlette Book! Oh man, is that a blast from my past. I even used a Mr. Omelette pan, and thought making omelett the ultimate in sophistication in my first apartment. It says the 70's for me but I see it was copyrighted 1955. This sent me diving into my stash of old cookbooks and recipes. My favorite cookbooks are the Joy of Cooking from the 70's and my mom's graduation gift 1947 Good Housekeeping, with tips for rationing and how to train your housekeeper to serve meals for parties. I love how food styles define an era.
view Kate (NC)'s profile
how strange and coincidental... i just found a reprinted copy of this book (1990) behind my building last weekend. to explain, folks who want to give away useful things leave them on a picnic table out back... faith, you will be happy to learn that they kept the recipe for the Iraqi omelette!
view mascarah's profile
I'm a couple days behind, but I have an affinity for locally-produced cookbooks (churches, garden clubs, school fundraisers, etc). My favorite is one that came from the church my husband attended as a kid - there was a sizeable Mexican family in the congregation, and as such we can still make the tamales that he had all the time as a kid. Mmmmm...
view LauraII's profile