Manuscript Location

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

Place of Origin

England

Date of Composition

1826-1898

Description

Evidently, over a period of perhaps 30 years, this 148-page recipe book was passed around among four or more individuals in the Bethune family, who wrote both medical and culinary recipes in it. According to a note written on the inside front cover, the book was subsequently given to G. Stephens by her mother, J. Bethune, in 1898. A single individual wrote the first 89 pages of the book, which contain 56 numbered medical recipes, followed by 86 numbered culinary recipes. Various other individuals wrote pages 90 to 116, which contain culinary recipes numbered 87 to 134, following the original writer's numbering system. Additional medical recipes, also numbered in the original sequence, appear on pages 117 to 137. These recipes are in the hand of the original writer through page 123, then in various hands, including sporadically that of the original writer, to the end. Pages 138 through 141 comprise culinary recipes in various hands, numbered in the sequence originally set. A two-part index, medical and culinary, follows, incorporating all of the recipes written in the book to this point. After the index there a few pages of additional culinary recipes that are not numbered or included in the index. Recipes include: rabbit soup, mulligatawny soup, knuckle bone broth, oyster loaf, to pot lobsters, hare soup, calves head. Of particular interest is a recipe for "A Comfortable Meal for Six People," which a note dated January 22nd 1838 attributes to Isabella B., presumably Isabella Bethune. It calls for a pint of split peas, a pound of lean beef cut in pieces, 3/4 pound mealy potatoes, 3 ounces of rice, 5 onions, and "some pepper and salt," all boiled together--obviously with water--for 3 hours.