Michael Barry (2) (1941–2011)

Woe is me! The last thing I want when I have so many books to log in is to find a book that I at least need to look through. Such is the case with this book. The author has collected these recipes from anything from scraps of paper to manuscript cookbooks, which date from the beginning of the 17th century to the middle of the 19th century.

The recipes, divided by season, are rendered in a modern form. In most cases, the original is also given, so the reader can easily see how the recipes differ. Each has some attribution, usually the name of the family and where they lived, along with an approximate date or range of dates. In some cases, there are photographs or drawings of the residences. Other illustrations vary from the somewhat random whimsical b w drawings to what appear to be repros from period publications and also color photographs.

Recipes that catch my eye: a recipe for Hot Cross Buns from 1818 that is a heck of a lot more interesting then what we find today; meringues (called Pets) dating to 1630--earlier than most give for the advent of such a recipe; Soda Water (phosphate-free); Chocolate Creme (from when chocolate was quite a luxury).… (more)