Esther B. Aresty (1908–2000)

Too yummy for words. A social history of cookbooks from inception of the idea of writing down recipes at all to the nineteenth century. I love books like this. I love the history of dining, the history of the food crops, the history in short of the world real people actually lived in during what we dismissively call "the past."

Added bonuses here are illustrations taken from these antique sources, recipes from the time updated to 1960s cooking methods (interesting how "fat" has become a pejorative term in cooking, boo hiss Susan Powter and Center for Science "in the Public Interest"), and Aresty's engaging and conversational tone.

Full disclosure: On reading the chapter entitled "18th Century England: The Good Housewives as Authors", I ran right downstairs and made a recipe of "Snowballs" (p124) and they were outstandingly good. They were also a lot easier to make than to eat, requiring a knife and a fork and a bit of patience to knock into. But hot damn, do I have a conversation starter for the next dinner I throw!

Recommended for readers of social-science books; readers of history books looking for a new slant on the subject; a must-have item for anyone who collects cookbooks, or uses them for more than just the occasional Thanksgiving pie recipe. Keep a drool rag handy, readers.… (mer)