Manuscript Location

New-York Historical Society, Patricia D. Klingenstein Library

Place of Origin

United States ➔ New York ➔ New York

Date of Composition

ca. 1864

Description

This recipe book was formerly owned by the Children's Aid Society of New York City. However, it was not created by the society, and neither its author nor the author's relationship to the society are known. The volume comprises approximately 152 pages. The recipes are numbered and are indexed on pages 118-121. Many loose recipes are laid in between the pages; also laid in are broadside advertisements for various cooking ingredients. The volume appears to date from the mid-nineteenth century. One recipe is dated 1864.

The book appears to have been compiled in a privileged household, for it includes sophisticated recipes such as lobster sauce, oysters, and blanc mange, and it makes use of ingredients that were considered fancy in the mid-nineteenth century, such as coconut and pineapple. The book features many dessert recipes, as well as some recipes for alcoholic drinks, savory foods, and pickling. It also includes medical recipes, such as blackberry syrup for "the summer complaint" and a remedy to break the scarlet fever.