Place of Origin

United States

Date of Composition

mostly ca. 1846, with some later additions

Description

This 48-page cookbook is inscribed "Harriet Minot, July 1846" on the inside front cover. The first half (more or less) of the book is in Harriet Minot's hand. This portion of the book is organized, beginning with puddings (through sequence 8), proceeding to cakes, breads, and griddle cakes (through sequence 23), then to "Meat, Fish, etc." (through sequence 25), and concluding with "Preserves, Jellies," which actually contains recipes of several types (through sequence 28).

Several different authors, possibly including Harriet Minot, have written the recipes from sequence 29 to the end of the book. The recipes in this section are not organized and are of various kinds, both culinary and medical. Some of the recipes are of the 1860s or later, such as "Snow Cake" (sequence 45) 

Harriet Minot Pitman (1815-1888) was an abolitionist and longtime friend of John Greenleaf Whittier. In 1844 she married Isaac Pitman.