Cookery books and books on food.

Peter Why · Post by **Peter Why** » February 15th, 2006, 2:06 pm

"The Whitehouse Cookbook (1887) - The Whole Comprising a Comprehensive Cyclopedia For The Home".

It's fascinating (and yes, the title is "Whitehouse", but the book is clearly about cooking and home economics in The White House).

http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/13923

Starlite · Post by **Starlite** » September 26th, 2006, 5:03 am

Fernie, William Thomas 1830-?
Herbal Simples Approved for Modern Uses of Cure

http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/19352 [adopted]

Is there any interest in this book? I would coordinate it if there is.

fae · Post by **fae** » September 26th, 2006, 9:32 am

Yes, it does look interesting. I love herbals and 'good-wifes'.

I'll do a section.

*runs away before anyone realizes I've said I'll record*

jimmowatt · Post by **jimmowatt** » September 26th, 2006, 10:00 am

At fiest I thought this a rather bizarre idea but upon reading the book I find the author is really quite chatty and tells some stories about the various herbs and the text is sprinkled with old rhymes.
Quite a fun book this so, yes
quite interested...

Post by **hugh** » September 25th, 2008, 4:47 pm

Richard II's recipe book?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3061656/King-Richard-IIs-recipe-book-to-go-online.html

kayray · Post by **kayray** » September 25th, 2008, 5:19 pm

Far out! How amazing would it be if we made an audio book of that? We'd need a scholar to translate the script, though.

Post by **hugh** » September 25th, 2008, 8:43 pm

transcribe or translate?

RuthieG · Post by **RuthieG** » September 26th, 2008, 2:52 am

The Forme of Cury: A Roll of Ancient English Cookery Compiled, about A.D. 1390
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/8102

kayray · Post by **kayray** » September 26th, 2008, 7:48 am

You rock, Ruthie, look at that :) :) :)

Hugh, I meant both transcribe and translate, thinking that the Middle English would be a bit much!

Take Almandes unblanched, waisshe hem, grynde hem, drawe hem up with
gode broth. do þerto thridde part of chiryse. þe stones. take oute
and grynde hem smale, make a layour of gode brede an powdour and salt
and do þerto. colour it with sandres so that it may be stondyng, and
florish it with aneys and with cheweryes, and strawe þeruppon and
serue it forth.

Funny how some of it is easy and some impossible... "do þerto thridde part of chiryse" what now?

RuthieG · Post by **RuthieG** » September 26th, 2008, 8:05 am

The þ appears to be a 'th', so 'thereto,' 'thereupon,' 'the' etc. Chiryse and cheweryes are presumably cherries. It is challenging, but rather fun.

kayray · Post by **kayray** » September 26th, 2008, 8:39 am

Yes, it's fun to puzzle out! And the Gutenberg text has a million footnotes.

Jc · Post by Jc » September 26th, 2008, 12:05 pm

One wouldn't think they'd need a recipe to bake beans...

Take benes and seeþ hem and grynde hem in a morter and drawe hem
up with gode broth an do Oynouns in the broth grete mynced an
do þerto and colour it with Safroun and serve it forth.

All of a sudden, my little bro's English doesn't seem so bad...

kayray · Post by **kayray** » September 26th, 2008, 12:11 pm

Take Connynges smyte hem to pecys. parboile hem and drawe hem with a
gode broth with almandes blanched and brayed. do þerinne sugur and
powdour gynger and boyle it and the flessh þerwith. flour it with
sugur and with powdour gynger an serue forth.

Next time I cook rabbit, I will smite them to pieces! And when they're done I will serve them forth. Utterly charming.

hefyd · Post by **hefyd** » March 17th, 2009, 6:55 am

Sir Kenelm Digby [1603 - 1665] is quite a discovery
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenelm_Digby
and when I find the right thing to read, I'll put him up.
The only book of his on Gutenberg is a book of recipes
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16441/16441-8.txt
but he wrote other things, and I believe kept a journal.hefyd

hefyd · Post by **hefyd** » March 17th, 2009, 7:08 am

His memoirs are on the internet archive
http://www.archive.org/details/privatememoirsof00digbuoft
hefyd