Amelia Simmons

As with any old book there are random moments of unintentional hilarity.

Some of my favorite parts:
"How to choose fish: salmon, the noblest and richest fish taken in fresh water-- the largest are the best. They are unlike almost every other fish, are ameliorated by being 3-4 days out of water, if kept from heat and the moon, which has more injurious effect than the sun."

I have so many questions, namely what device did they think would protect dead fish from the forces of gravity. How can you tell if your fish has been tainted by moon? It fascinates me to no end because I love reading about stuff like this.

"Diet bread: one pound sugar, 9 eggs, beat for an hour, add 14 ounces of flour, spoonful rose water, cinnamon or coriander, bake quick."

I love how it is "diet" but contains more sugar than flour.

As far as the recipes go: It has several good and very simple recipes in it. I may have to try several of the pies and puddings.

… (altro)

Not quite done...

I am reviewing a digital version of this book so cannot comment on the physical properties. I can however say that it's a wonderful edition that includes not only the origina textl but notes from Karen Hess, a scholar of food and cookery, and her introduction adds a great deal to the value of the book by putting Amelia Simmon's "American Cookery" in historical perspective.

The potential buyer and/or reader should understand that Simmon's book was THE first American cookbook. And while the recipes may be very like the ones from England, others prove themselves to be newly American with the inclusion of foods like Indian Corn, or just plain 'Indian' as corn was sometimes referred to. And in any case, this is an American voice you hear throughout talking about being an orphan and the struggles that results from that condition; talking about hanging on the pot.

Applegate, the publisher, was no doubt interested in this unique American book. But it was Hess who wisely convinced Applegate to publish the second edition, rather than the first. The reason for this is that apparently there was a bit of fraud involved with the publication of the first edition. Amelia Simmons herself says as much, giving readers notice that the recipes in the first edition were written down wrong; and that the entire first portion of the book, which talks about how to purchase meat and buy the best sorts, was not her idea but was added by another.

And while I was interested in the first American cookbook, reading her own disavowment of the work convinced me that I wished to avoid the first edition. However if you are curious, you might look for at Gutenberg.

What follows the Karen's introduction is a facsimile of "American Cookery". So you will see it as it was read centuries ago. And you will no doubt have to struggle with the long 's' of that period and the quirky spelling. Thus you will learn to 'ferve your mutton' and learn to 'broil your beef stake'. Don't panick though. You will soon become accustomed to these slight differences.

One of the additional merits of this particular version of the book is that Ms. Hess has added an Index and a Glossary at the end. I particularly appreciated the latter as it saved me much time searching the web looking up definitions of words like: gill, emptins, and tumbles. And without that aid I would have no doubt misunderstood what a 'mango' was meant to be -- a method of preserving various fleshy fruits and veggies so that they resembled a pickled mango from India -- and it's entirely likely that for some words -- like 'long pepper' and 'grown flour' -- I would have found no answer at all.

All-in-all "American Cookery" is an interesting read. It's not the sort of book you go through in one setting. You could, but what would be the point. It's a cookbook after all. It's a book to be savored over coffee or late at night. If you read it too fast you miss out on details like the sheer number of herbs that are used in this short list of recipes. Not to mention the copious amounts of butter and eggs. It staggers the mind at points.

And if you are going to purchase a copy of Simmon's book, I can't see buying one without the introduction. To do so would leave most readers without an appreciation of a remarkable little volume it is.

Enjoy.

Pam T~
pageinhistory… (altro)