Manuscript Location

Pennsylvania State University, Paterno Library

Place of Origin

England

Date of Composition

ca. 1732-1769

Description

This book contains two collections of recipes, one written from the front of the notebook, the other written from the back and upside down in relation to the front. Both collections are primarily culinary but also contain some medical recipes. The front collection is inscribed "Gertrude Hickman her book," accompanied by the date, "1732," in a different hand. Written in several hands, this section contains fifty-nine recipes, including pickled foods, potted herring, various puddings, saffron cakes, and floating islands. The recipe for "the best sort of brown plum cakes" is noted as "a nasty receipt." A recipe for caraway cake is dated May 1732. The back collection opens with a table of contents, with a notation for various months of 1769. This section contains forty-one recipes for preserving fruits and various cures.