OP: The Kentucky Cookery Book
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Belford-Clarke Co., Chicago, 1891. Hardcover. Good Plus. Fourth edition.
First published in 1885 as The Kentucky Housewife (not to be confused with Lettice Bryan’s antebellum The Kentucky Housewife [1839]), The Kentucky Cookery Book was retitled for this 1891 fourth edition.
The author is the Kentucky-born but, by the time the book was written, Cincinnati-living Mrs. Peter A. White—also identified here by her maiden name, Miss Mag Woolley (1830–1898)—a descendant of Lexington politicians. Despite its title, the dishes themselves, while leaning southern in nature, are more broadly cosmopolitan. In addition to the nearly 500 pages of recipes are household tips and seasonal menus.
A suggestion for a spring breakfast includes broiled shad with tartar sauce, Saratoga potatoes, lamb chops with peas, rolls, sweetbreads and champignons, and snipe on toast. A summer dinner might consist of okra soup, boiled fish in shrimp sauce, fried chicken in cream sauce, fillet of beef with truffles, corn pudding, crème de volaille, tomato salad, lemon ice cream, and cakes. Certainly a hearty appetite is required.
Our copy is in Good Plus condition, lightly soiled with an occasional dogear. The case is shelworn, though the black and gilt title and embellishments remain bright. Scarce.
