[COOKERY MANUSCRIPT] Formal Kitchen Recipes & Remedies
![[COOKERY MANUSCRIPT] Formal Kitchen Recipes & Reme](https://d3525k1ryd2155.cloudfront.net/h/554/198/1717198554.0.x.jpg)
- Hardcover
- Philadelphia , c. 1850s - 70s
Philadelphia, c. 1850s - 70s. Hardcover. Black boards. Very good. This meticulously handwritten and systematically organized manuscript comprises 116 pages (20 x 15 cm), likely compiled by one or two household servants. The first 104 pages, authored in a single hand and fully indexed, present an extensive range of recipes. From page 104 onward, two distinct hands are evident, suggesting later contributors or additional cooks.
Throughout the collection, it is apparent that the recipes were intended for refined table service; for example, the Beef Olives recipe instructs the cook to cut, fill, dredge, and fry the beef, then to serve it over toast with a generous pour of gravy, finished with the directive to "send it to table." The manuscript covers a broad array of instructions, including:
Methods for curing ham, beef, and pork, Baking a pig, Preparing Scotch Collops, Corning beef, Dressing a calfs head turtle fashion, Making mutton chops, Roasting goose or duck, Barbecuing a sheeps head, Curing shad, Producing homemade vinegar, Pickling barberries, A wealth of recipes for cakes, biscuits, breads, muffins, cookies, as well as sauces, preserves, flummeries, jellies, & creams, Directions for making cheese, yeast, beer, cider, wine, cordials, brandy, and mead,Instructions for preparing paints, washes, and several household remedies, and so much more.
Many recipes are attributed to specific individuals, including Mrs. Brien, Mrs. Sarah Brady (Aug. 1864), Miss M. Yeats, Miss Mary Peale, Mrs. Nixon, Mrs. Murry, Mrs. Coleman, and Mrs. D. Cox. The beginning of several sections includes a paragraph titled "Rules to be Observed," indicating that the manuscript served as a working reference for multiple cooks within the household.
The manuscript frequently mentions Evans W. Shippen (18301899) and Katherine W. McElwee (c.18351899), who married in 1852. Evans was an iron foundry owner and, at his death, held significant real estate in Philadelphia and the surrounding area, including Meadville, Pennsylvania. Their social standing strongly suggests they employed capable household staff and entertained guests regularly. Notably, the 1860 census records show a servant named C. Gallagher28 years old and Irish-bornwas employed in the household at that time.
The closing pages of the volume contain several hymns and religious verses. Repaired and installed in original boards, rebacked in black cloth. 4 pages of ephemera, Torrey's Arctic Freezer, bound in.
Throughout the collection, it is apparent that the recipes were intended for refined table service; for example, the Beef Olives recipe instructs the cook to cut, fill, dredge, and fry the beef, then to serve it over toast with a generous pour of gravy, finished with the directive to "send it to table." The manuscript covers a broad array of instructions, including:
Methods for curing ham, beef, and pork, Baking a pig, Preparing Scotch Collops, Corning beef, Dressing a calfs head turtle fashion, Making mutton chops, Roasting goose or duck, Barbecuing a sheeps head, Curing shad, Producing homemade vinegar, Pickling barberries, A wealth of recipes for cakes, biscuits, breads, muffins, cookies, as well as sauces, preserves, flummeries, jellies, & creams, Directions for making cheese, yeast, beer, cider, wine, cordials, brandy, and mead,Instructions for preparing paints, washes, and several household remedies, and so much more.
Many recipes are attributed to specific individuals, including Mrs. Brien, Mrs. Sarah Brady (Aug. 1864), Miss M. Yeats, Miss Mary Peale, Mrs. Nixon, Mrs. Murry, Mrs. Coleman, and Mrs. D. Cox. The beginning of several sections includes a paragraph titled "Rules to be Observed," indicating that the manuscript served as a working reference for multiple cooks within the household.
The manuscript frequently mentions Evans W. Shippen (18301899) and Katherine W. McElwee (c.18351899), who married in 1852. Evans was an iron foundry owner and, at his death, held significant real estate in Philadelphia and the surrounding area, including Meadville, Pennsylvania. Their social standing strongly suggests they employed capable household staff and entertained guests regularly. Notably, the 1860 census records show a servant named C. Gallagher28 years old and Irish-bornwas employed in the household at that time.
The closing pages of the volume contain several hymns and religious verses. Repaired and installed in original boards, rebacked in black cloth. 4 pages of ephemera, Torrey's Arctic Freezer, bound in.