OP: Appu!! The Ceylon Cookery Book

Times of Ceylon Company, Ltd., 1922. Hardcover. Good Plus. Fourth edition.

Here is a rare treat for anyone interested in early 20th century housekeeping manuals. Originally published in 1915 for British colonials living in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Appu!! The Ceylon Cookery Book gives a glimpse inside the needs, customs, and attitudes of the time. This does, however, mean that the upper-class, western tone carries a certain level of condescension and disregard for the locals. Slurs, while infrequent, may also be found.

Disclaimers aside, our author is adamant that, “Housekeeping in England is child’s play to housekeeping in Ceylon.” Tips for dealing with varying altitudes and extreme heat illustrate the differences between keeping a British household and keeping a Sri Lankan one. Otherwise, the general tenor of the book resembles similar guides of the time, emphasizing economy, cleanliness, and morality.

Besides general household management suggestions, Appu!! includes a good number of recipes, which very much favor European cookery and make no effort to embrace local dishes or ingredients. Some concessions are made for the climate, in which butter puff pastry, for example, is a fool’s errand, but the clear goal is to recreate, as closely as possible, a familiar dining experience for colonials.

Our copy is the 1922 fourth edition in Good Plus condition with soiling throughout and bumped and worn boards. It remains soundly bound and fully readable. This copy was acquired from KAL store founder Nach Waxman’s personal collection. Fascinating and worthwhile for an institutional or private acquisition.