Fifty Years in a Maryland Kitchen (1913) w. Winter Okra Soup, French Eggplant, Blackberry Pudding & more -- Vintage Cookbook TBT

Vintage Cookbook: Fifty Years in a Maryland Kitchen (New and Revised Edition) - Mrs. B. C. Howard 

Publication Details: Norman, Remington Co., Baltimore, 1913

There is no question that this week's installment qualifies as "vintage"! Fifty Years in a Maryland Kitchen was first published in Baltimore in 1873 and was enormously popular in the United States at the time though early editions of it -- as well as the revised 1913 edition we are looking at today -- are now quite rare.

Written by a Mrs. B. C. Howard, the book has over four hundred recipes of all different types as well as cooking advice and tips. It makes for a fascinating piece of cultural and social history. Here we see the techniques in use before home refrigeration and how people's eating tastes, in part due to necessity of course, were rather different. It is unlikely that one would find, for example, a recipe for German style Baked Head (cow) in a cookbook today, but at the time often all parts of an animal would be consumed.

The book has sections that would for the most part be familiar, such as Meats, Soups, Vegetables, etc. But in the era before the rise of modern medicine there are also recipes for the sick as well as a miscellaneous section that has recipes and tips for things like homemade shampoo, stain removers or, which we have included, tooth paste (it has brandy in it).

We have included at least one recipe from each section. Some of these, such as the Veal Cutlets are pretty similar to what would be done now. Others such as Fresh Tongue with Caper Sauce or Stewed Beef Kidneys for breakfast are less.

These are but a tiny fraction of what the book has to offer. While original copies are quite expensive, folks interested can pick up modern reprint editions online for much less.

While I would hope it would not be necessary to remind readers of this, please remember that these recipes should be approached with caution if you want to recreate one and that the methods or ingredients used in some cases in 1913 would be regarded as unsafe now. Always make sure you fully cook meats and dishes to modern safety standards, using safe and pasteurized ingredients, and that you do not preserve, can or jar items without learning how to do so properly using modern methods from a modern source.

(click on scans to enlarge)