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The Virginia Housewife
says
Mary Randolph was an influential hostess and said to have been the best cook in Richmond, Virginia. This 1824 cookbook was a pioneer among Southern cookbooks. The recipes from Catfrish Soup to Velvet Cakes and references within provide a glimpse into the food and traditions of the Antebellum South.
from the publisher
The Virginia House-Wife is an 1824 housekeeping manual and cookbook by Mary Randolph. In addition to recipes it gave instructions for making soap, starch, blacking and cologne.
The Virginia House-Wife was republished at least nineteen times before the outbreak of the Civil War. The book was 225 pages long, included nearly 500 recipes,[2] and resulted from Randolph's "practical experience as keeper of a large establishment, and perhaps in the hope of further augmenting the family income." The Virginia House-Wife is considered the first regional American cookbook. [Wikipedia]
Most popular
- Original Publisher
- Plaskitt, Fite & Co., Washington, DC
- Date of publication
- 1824
- ISBN
- 1406542369
Recommended by
John Martin Taylor
Culinary historian
Karen Hess’s annotated facsimile editions of historically important American cookbooks set a new standard for culinary history in the United States.
Janice Longone
Culinary historian
This book, the first southern regional, was very popular went through 19 printing before the Civil War and recent facsimiles.
Andrew F. Smith
Food historian
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