Manuscript Location

New York Academy of Medicine, Rare Book Room

Place of Origin

United States

Date of Composition

1848-ca. 1885

Description

This 138-page manuscript begins with a section of culinary recipes, most of which are in a single hand, probably that of Jane Beck, and then proceeds to a smaller section of culinary recipes, most of which are in a second hand, likely that of Mrs. James B. Beck. Approximately fifty formulas for household cleaning products and the like are written in the back of the notebook, possibly in the hand of one of the principal writers and possibly in a third hand. There are also many recipes written into odd spaces throughout the manuscript. These recipes appear to be in still other hands. A number of newspaper clippings are pasted into the pages, some containing recipes and others household tips.

The manuscript contains approximately 240 culinary recipes, mostly for tea breads, cakes, cookies, and desserts, with cakes predominating. Only about thirty of the recipes outline savory dishes, nearly all of which are meat or poultry preparations or pickles; there are no recipes for vegetables or fish. The book contains no unusual recipes for the period, although the title of a recipe for chocolate ice cream, "Jerusalem Cream," is curious. Most of the medical receipts are treatments for common complaints, such as chapped hands, warts, bleeding, and indigestion.

Many of the recipes are credited to friends of the writers. In some cases, a friend's "book" is cited as the recipe source, by which the writer seems usually to mean a borrowed printed cookbook from which she jotted down the recipe in the shorthand style typical in all parts of the manuscript. In addition, about a dozen recipes are credited to magazines, particularly Peterson's and Godey's Lady's Book.