American Cookery was the first cookbook in America. Reproduced here is the rare second edition printed in 1796 with a new introduction by noted food historian Karen Hess.
Until its publication, cookbooks printed and used by American colonists were British. As indicated in Amelia Simmons's subtitle, the recipes in her book were "adapted to this country," reflecting the fact that American cooks had learned to make do with what was available in North America. This cookbook reveals the rich variety of food colonial Americans used, their tastes, cooking and eating habits, and even their rich, down-to-earth language.
Bringing together English cooking methods with truly American products, American Cookery contains the first known printed recipes substituting American maize for English oats; and the recipe for Johnny Cake is apparently the first printed version using cornmeal. The book also contains the first known recipe for turkey. Possibly the most far-reaching innovation was Simmons's use of pearlash--a staple in colonial households as a leavening agent in dough, which eventually led to the development of modern baking powders.
- Author: Amelia Simmons
- Paperback: 88 pages
- Dimensions: 5.03 x 0.23 x 8.03 inches
- Published: October 1996 by Applewood Books
