Manuscript Location

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

Place of Origin

England

Date of Composition

1803-ca. 1820s

Description

This book is inscribed on the inside front cover: Mrs. John Scobell / Reynold's Lodging January 16th 1803. Written in a single hand, which appears to be that of the inscriber, the book contains a 1-page index (ending at page 61) followed by 70 pages that are numbered through page 67. Pages 9 through 44 are written only on the recto of the leaves. The culinary recipes mostly concern fruit preserving, pickles, puddings, and dessert creams, though some meat dishes and savory sauces are mixed in. The book includes a smattering of medical and household recipes, among them Fire Balls, which are oval balls of clay, coal dust, water, to be "laid on top of the fire, either wet or dry." The mood of the hand alters significantly from the inscription and initial recipes to the end, suggesting that the book, though begun in 1803, was completed over a span of years.