Introduction This project is a book history analysis of recipe format design. The book I have chosen to examine is a late 19th century cookbook titled, Boston Cooking-School Cookbook by Fannie Merritt Farmer. The cookbook was published in 1896; with numerous editions following. It was extremely popular among American housewives who referred it religiously as their cooking guide.
Although not the first to write a cookbook, Farmer’s book became one of the most popular cookbooks in history to date. Her enthusiasm and zeal for cooking opened the door for her to be creative in the kitchen. Farmer used this creativity to introduce standardized measuring and scientific precision in cooking through the use of recipe format. Not only was she a well-known cook, but also an instructor, lecturer, and writer.
Although gender roles have drastically changed over the years, historic cookbooks can provide a wealth of knowledge as it concerns the study of book history. According to American chef and culinary personality (former host of America’s Test Kitchen), Chris Kimball, “You can go back 100 years or 200 years or to Roman times and follow a recipe. It's a pretty good way of getting a sense of what people were like and how they thought about things." (Herwick, 2017).
Project Contributions and Need Cookbooks have been a primary source that historians have examined to get a sense of historic times and culture. "Historians use recipes in order to learn about the people of a particular time period. Recipes are primary sources, and like other primary sources, they can tell us many things about the past: what resources were available to a particular group, that group's economic status, what daily life was like in that time period, what was valued by a particular cultural group and so much more" (Using, n.d.).
Cookbooks have also been examined when studying cultural dishes and geographical locations. Although all of these things are contribute to our understanding of cookbook history, unfortunately these are the only things historians seem to focus on when there are other aspects to be researched.
I feel this project contributes to the study of book history because I examine and discuss something that is usually overlooked when analyzing cookbooks, which are recipes. Most often when it comes to the history of culinary books, the subject usually revolves around types of dishes or ingredients, as opposed to the actual recipe itself. Recipe documentation and format is both an art and science all of its own. Although the need for my work may not be as monumental as other works, or provide a vast amount of information, it still contributes to the overall study of cookbook history.
This project is also needed in the way of acknowledging contributions individuals have made to the culinary world and study of cookbook history. Plagiarism and lack of historical documentation has been a problem in the past causing a number of problems. Plagiarism has resulted in some individuals (especially of minority status) not being recognized for their contributions. Lack of historical documentation has resulted in the same problem as plagiarism, but also lack of historical information overall.
Methodology The purpose of this project was to gather what information I could find from analyzing 19th century cookbooks that hadn’t been discovered or discussed, or discussed very little when analyzing the history of cookbooks? More specifically, what could recipes tell me about book history?
A methodology of primary and secondary source analysis was used since wanted to examine. My process consisted of six steps: 1. Research question. 2. Gather sources. 3. Analyze sources. 4. Interpret sources. 5. State findings. 6. Conclusion.
I used a combination of two approaches presented by noted scholar, David Vander Meulen which was: describing and interpreting physical details and features; and recognizing the cultural values inherent in design elements. This approach enabled me to research my topic from two angles: the physical design, structure and attributes of recipe documentation and format; and its cultural value. I found that this approach allowed me to adequately cover all areas of my topic.
Because of the nature of this subject, a variety of primary and secondary were examined:
Recipes
Digital library collections and archives.
Special library collections.
Historical societies.
Biographies on Farmer.
Culinary TV shows.
Culinary and home economic sites.
Sites and blogs created by individuals who researched Farmer’s work.
I did experience some challenges with carrying out project. The main challenge I faced was that some primary sources I want to examine were located in special library or university collections that were only accessible in-person. Unfortunately, these institutions were located in other states; requiring me to travel long distance.
The lesser challenge I faced was obtaining primary sources on Farmer herself. I had to be creative and look in unusual places. For example, Farmer built a house that had went on the market some time back. Much of the house was still in its original state. Touring her kitchen would’ve been an excellent primary source. Touring locations and buildings were Farmer lived and worked would’ve helped to broaden my understanding of my topic, but required travel and making unusual arrangements.
Farmer’s Contemporaries In this section of the project, I will examine and compare Farmer’s recipe format with two of her contemporaries: Catharine Beecher and Mrs. Isabella Beeton. Although both women each published their cookbooks before Farmer did; their books were popular with reprint editions during the time Farmer published hers. It should be noted that with each reprint, all three women’s books made some changes, but their recipe formats largely remained the same.
Figure 1. Catharine Beecher.
Miss Catharine Beecher, sister of famous writer Harriet Beecher Stowe, was born in 1800. She was the oldest child. Although Beecher never married, she became a teacher, and opened the Hartford Female Seminary. Beecher also took a special interest in instructing young women to manage their homes successfully. As a result, she wrote Miss Beecher’s Domestic Receipt Book (1846) as an instruction guide. Beecher went on to write other books and articles. She died in 1878.
Figure 2. Mrs. Isabella Beeton.
Mrs. Beeton was born in 1836. She married Samuel Beeton who owned a publishing company. Seeing a need for household management, she wrote Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management (1861. Beeton went on to write other books, and become an editor for a well-known women’s magazine. Her writing brought her fame and financial success. However, her husband’s business experienced financial trouble which she helped keep financially afloat until she died at the early age of 28. After she died, various troubles surrounded her husband, but her book remained popular.
I will compare recipes for potato soup and pound cake; which is included in all three women’s books:
Miss Beecher Being the oldest cookbook of this comparison, it stands to reason that Beecher’s recipe format was the vaguest. Most of her recipes are written in a sequential order; in paragraph form. It’s hard to say whether or not there is a scientific purpose for this order in which Beecher listed the ingredients. For example, when it comes to the pound cake, she instructs to mix the dry ingredients first; wet ingredients last; then mix the batter together. This specific order is scientific, but it’s hard to tell if it was intentional on Beecher’s part or not. Overall, paragraph form is harder for cooks to read when following a recipe.
Figure 3 and 4. Beecher's recipes, pp. 454, 506.
Mrs. Beeton In Beeton’s book, recipe format becomes clearer. Measurements are more precise; however, some are vague. There appears to be some sequential order to her ingredient lists, but like Beecher, it’s hard to tell whether this was intentional or not.
Recipes are categorized into sections (ingredients, mode, time, seasonable); in sequential order; and in paragraph form for the most part. This makes Beeton’s recipes easier to follow than Beecher’s. However, her recipe headings and section titles are harder to read compared to Farmer’s bold-typed headings.
Figure 5 and 6. Beeton's recipes, pp. 76, 861.
Miss Farmer Farmer’s recipe format is more modern than her contemporaries. The format includes precise, standardized measurements in a 2-column format with an instructive paragraph beneath. However, like her contemporaries, there are few recipes that are in paragraph form with steps (instructions) in sequential order; separated by semi-colons, as a result of the type of the dish it is. However, most her recipes include her modern format.
It’s hard to say why Farmer used a 2-column format vs. a one column. Regardless of why, the use of columnar format brings clarity, and allows ingredients to be mixed in correct scientific order for good-tasting results. As stated earlier, Farmer’s book is basically a revision of Mary J. Lincoln’s book (Mrs. Lincoln's Boston Cook Book). However, Farmer incorporates her modern recipe format for scientific reasons intentionally. “In her [Farmer’s] rewrite, done at a time when there was a trend towards ‘scientific’ cooking, she also listed ingredients separately, and gave standardized measurements – gone were the calls for ‘butter the size of an egg’” (Fannie Merritt, n.d.).
Figure 7 and 8. Farmer's recipes, pp. 124, 431.
Farmer’s Influence on Modern Cookbooks In this section, I will examine two contemporary cookbooks to demonstrate the wide use of Farmer’s format today. Both are highly-rated cookbooks of the 20th and 21st century. Although there are slight variations to Farmer’s recipe format, the formats used are clearly based off of Farmer’s original scientific, columnar format.
Figure 9. Betty Crocker Cookbook (2016 Kindle).
Figure 10. Joy of Cooking (2006).
Project Findings When starting this project, and I had settled on the topic of recipe documentation and format, I wasn’t sure if I could gather enough information to answer my research question, but after my comparative analysis, I feel my question was adequately answered in that Farmer appears to be the creator of the modern recipe format.
Also, when examining the two contemporary cookbooks, I discovered more recipe formats, which seemed to be based off of Farmer’s original format, but with more embellishments. That in itself could be a topic for further research. If I had time, I would also expand my research on areas of historic cooking measurements, terms, and ingredients; even testing some of the historic recipes myself.
Conclusion In conclusion, as science and technology advance, the way we present recipes in cookbooks will continue to change. According to Joseph Janes, Associate Professor at the Information School of University of Washington, Fannie Farmer was influential in developing the modern recipe format, but now modern cooks have advanced that format to include media format. "She helped to promote and change not just thinking about food but thinking about food. Today, with cable cooking channels and blogs, reality programs, umpteen magazines, celebrity chefs, people Instagramming pictures of meals, the whole foodie culture, I think she succeeded beyond her wildest imaginings. The structure and form of what we think of today as a recipe owes a great deal to her influence, though as technology continues to evolve, this might change as well. Videos and apps on a laptop or smartphone can depict and demonstrate processes and techniques in ways that words on paper can’t always get across, so the means by which the practice of cooking might be codified and thought about are changing yet again, which I think would make Fannie very happy indeed" (Janes, 2015). I believe media and electronic formats will continue to be developed, in order to offer more and unusual format options.
Although not discussed entirely in this project, I have researched many circuits of Darnton’s “communication circuit,” relating to this topic, and I believe Darnton’s statement that “by unearthing those circuits, historians can show that books do not merely recount history; they make it” (Darnton, 1982). Farmer's cookbook has definitely made history, and has uncovered some historical information along the way.