Manuscript Location

University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Kislak Center for Special Collections - Manuscripts

Place of Origin

United States ➔ Pennsylvania ➔ Philadelphia

Date of Composition

1854-1882

Description

This curious volume is inscribed "Hannah M. Keen Oakwood 1867 on the inside front cover, and "Hannah M. Keen's Receipt Book West Phila 1854" on the front endpaper. On the back endpaper is written, in a faint, wandering hand, "Mrs. Hannah M. Keen 3312 Race St West Philadelphia," which was apparently where Hannah M. Keen lived. The two inscriptions and the address were presumably all written by Hannah M. Keen, yet they appear to be in different hands. The same is true of the book as a whole. It appears to have been written by at least six different people, but perhaps Hannah M. Keen wrote most or even all it, including several recipes that are in a handsome calligraphic script. The book was presumably begun around 1854, the date of the earlier inscription, and continued until around 1882, the date of the final culinary recipe in the book (leaf 48r). 

The collection is written in a notebook of over 100 pages, but only about 30 pages contain writing. The first recipe is for chicken salad, a favorite party dish of the day, and this recipe is geared for a very large party indeed. It calls for "ten pans" of chicken, five bottles of oil, and one pound of mustard, among other ingredients. Most of the remaining recipes concern breads, puddings, pies, and cakes, including a "West Phila. Cake" and "Railroad Cake." In addition, there is a section of recipes headed "Preparations for the Sick," which includes "Chicken Broth," "Cocoa," "Tapioca Jelly," "Egg and Milk," "Egg and Wine," "Carrageen or Irish Moss Jelly," and "Wine Whey."

The source for a number of the recipes is "Widdifield's," which is presumably Widdifield's New Cook Book: or, Practical Receipts for the Housewife by Hannah Widdifield, published in Philadelphia in 1856. There is also a recipe for "Pork Cheese" (that is, head cheese; leaf 44v), dated 1872, which is credited to "Leslie Complete Cookery." The reference is surely to Miss Leslie's Complete Cookery, an 1851 reprint of a highly popular cookbook, first published in 1837, by Philadelphia cookbook author Eliza Leslie. Other recipes are attributed to Hannah Keen's relatives.