Manuscript Location

University of Iowa Main Library, Special Collections, Szathmary Culinary Archive

Place of Origin

Ireland ➔ Belfast

Date of Composition

1817-1859

Description

This recipe book of approximately 60 written pages is essentially in two parts. The inside front cover is inscribed J Lymburner, Bellfast Jan the 2 1817; her given name, Jennet, is clearly signed on the bottom of digital pages 46 and 48, along with the date January 2, 1817. The first part of the book opens with selection of cake recipes (through digital page 12), nearly all of which were copied from A New System of Domestic Cookery, by Maria Rundell, first published in 1806 and reprinted into the 1860s. To judge from their wording, the remaining recipes in this part, nearly all for sweets, were likely copied from published sources as well, though only a few come from Rundell. The recipes in this first part include: plum cake; a very fine cake; a very good common cake; a seed cake, another; common bread; common cake; very good pound cake; Queen's cake two ways; little white cakes; tea cakes; Shrewsbury cake; little short cakes; Benton tea cake; very good common plum cake; another sort of biscuit; another sort hard biscuit; plum cake; sugar cake; ginger bread; flat cakes that will keep well in the house; plain and crisp biscuit; a biscuit cake; crack nuts; water cakes; sponge cake; another without butter; wafers; Turnbridge cakes; gingerbread; another sort; buns; French rolls; Brentford Rolls; excellent rolls; Yorkshire cake; a minute pudding; puddings; snowball; quick made pudding; a cup cake; pickling cucumbers; apple pudding; plain baked pudding; custard pudding; rice custard; minced pie; preserve raspberries; common biscuit; whipt cream; plain boiled pudding; rich cake; currant jelly; currant wine; raspberry giam; preserve plums; preserve currants; a custard; millet pudding; apple dumplings; pancakes; baked apple pudding; apple pudding; to pickle cabbage; preserve gooseberry; gooseberry or currant pie; pickle onions; pickle French beans; chees cakes; custard pudding; apple sauce; onion sauce; icing for tarts; damson pudding; make sauce for pudding; raspberry wine; to make bunes.

The second part of this work begins on digital page 49 and continues to the end, with a mix of recipes in at least three different hands. This section opens with a recipe for Measure Cake signed Jennet Locke, Belfast 1827; a recipe for currant jelly is likewise signed Jennet Locke, but with a date of 1859, on digital page 54. Although the two hands appear slightly different, Jennet Locke is likely the same person who wrote the first part of the manuscript, now signing with her married name. Two recipes for lineament, on digital pages 61 and 65, both dated 1849, are signed John Locke, who, logic suggests, was Jennet Locke's husband. The culinary recipes in this section include: measure cake; fritters; slap jacks; cake; currant jelly, and to cure ham. There are also several medical recipes besides the two for lineament.

In addition to the hands of Jennet Locke and John Locke, the second part of the book contains a third hand, which appears on pages 50 and 52. Page 50 contains a recipe for Slapjacks, which is likely of American origin. Since the book contains laid-in printed matter referring to American Congressional acts of 1831 as well as material from "The New England Farmer" pasted to the inside back cover, it seems possible that the book was brought to America and that the recipes in the third hand were written in this country.