Oldest and Most Recognized Cookbooks

By Toni Leland
Published on February 4, 2009
MAIN STORY:
Gathering Recipes From Social Cookbooks

1742: The Compleat Housewife, a British cookbook used extensively in Colonial America, but edited to exclude recipes with unavailable ingredients.

1772: The Frugal Housewife, Susannah Carter. An English-cookery based book that excluded American ingredients.

1805: The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy, Hannah Glasse. A cookbook originating in England; it was most popular in 1776, and the American version was published in 1805.

1824: The Virginia Housewife, Mary Randolph. Another English cookery-based book.

1827: The House Servant’s Directory, Robert Roberts. One of the first books published by an African American. Sparse cooking information, but a unique insight into the work ethic of early America’s domestics.

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