Old Cookbooks On-Line

[Delmonico]

http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/html/browse.html

I just found this, what a treasure.

[Curley Cole]

Way cool

thanks Del

[Delmonico]

After talking with Silver Creek Slim the other night I realize I failed to mention that a lot of these recipes in them may be hard for some folks to understand since the terms are a bit different at times than modern books.  These may not be all you will run into, but should help, it's based on years of research:

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,29848.0.html

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[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

My neighbour was over for dinner with us tonight.  Afterwards, and a few glasses of wine, I made a batch of my Spelt biscuits.  While enjoying them slathered with butter we discussed old cookbooks.  She mentioned her favorite MRS BEETON'S BOOK OF HOUSEHOLD MANAGEMENT.

http://www.mrsbeeton.com/

Married to a publisher in 1856's Mrs. Beeton first wrote in a magazine supplement in England.  In 1861 it was published as a book.  Ruth's copy was printed in 1912, all 2,000 pages of it.  The link will get you to a free online version of the entire book!

She also loaned me a copy of THE BOSTON COOKING SCHOOL COOK BOOK,  Fannie Merritt Farmer, 7th edition, 1912.  This is one of the books included in Del's link.

She also has a copy of Mary Ronald's THE CENTURY COOK BOOK, new York, 1897.  I can't locate it in the site, FEEDING AMERICA. But I did find it as an online book;

http://www.archive.org/details/centurycookbook00ronarich

Another gem, that she wouldn't allow me to borrow, was a tattered copy of COOKERY BOOK for use in School and Home, published by the ABERDEEN EDUCATION AUTHORITY at some indeterminative date, but this copy came to Canada with her mother in 1924.  It includes a few archaic measuring terms such as;  "dessertspoonsfull", "teacupsfull", & "breakfastcupsfull".

[Delmonico]

OK I have most of those measuements in my notes, but how much is a breakfast cup?

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Mister Google reveals all; - in due course.

http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/dictB.html

"breakfast cup
    a unit of liquid volume, used in food recipes in Britain. The breakfast cup is similar to the cup used by American cooks, except that it is based on British Imperial units. Thus it equals 1/2 Imperial pint. This is equivalent to 10 Imperial fluid ounces, 17.339 cubic inches, 1.20 U.S. cup, or about 284 milliliters. This unit is also called a tumblerful."

http://www.whatscookingcanada.com/edible.nsf/pages/Measuring+Cups!opendocument&startkey=Measuring%20Cups&keyword=Measuring+Cups

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Here's another one I saw mentioned in a British show, VICTORIAN FARM. Its supposed to be a guide for a frugal housewife.

http://www.archive.org/stream/familysaveallsup00bouv#page/n0/mode/2up