Book Review--Revolutionary Cooking

Elverson, Virginia T., Mary Ann McLanahan and Betty T. Duson. Revolutionary Cooking: Over 200 Recipes Inspired by Colonial Meals. New York: Skyhorse Publishing. 2013. Index, bibliography, glossary, color and b/w illustrations. 180 pages, 169 pages text, ISBN 9781626364165, $16.95.





Reprinted from the original printing done in 1975 this cookbook slash history book has both pros and cons. The authors stated goal is "...to entertain the reader with highlights of American culinary heritage and to provide a collection of recipes, adapted from early sources, which are both delicious and practical."


The book is divided into six chapters: The Way it Was, Breakfast, Dinner, Supper and Tea, Drinking, Entertainment. The last five all begin with some history and descriptions before showcasing a multitude of recipes. This history aspect is where I had my biggest issues. The terms "colonial" and "revolutionary" are not defined and the authors tend to use a broader time frame than I might have preferred with recipes being noted from as late as 1860. Also, while there is a bibliography, there are no notes so statements are made with little way to validate what has been written. For example in the chapters on Drinking and Entertainment a reader might be left with the impression that the colonies were one large drinking party. The idea of wealth and what might be considered the norm for the time is somewhat blurred as well. There is considerable mention of "niceties" that could lead a reader to think life was easier than it really was.


   I did however find some interesting history included. There is a nice discussion on the distinction between dinner and supper. The saying "mind your p's and q's" is also discussed and defined. For those wondering the authors claim it comes from closing time at local taverns. The patrons finished off their pint or quarts (p's and q's) and headed out into the night. The problem being there are no notes to see where the authors picked this story up from.


   The heart of the book however are the recipes. Most recipes are less than a full page with a full listing of ingredients and instructions. These recipes are adapted to more modern times (remember it's the mid 1970s so there are still some oddities here like using canned salmon rather than a fresh or frozen filet).  Some recipes contain limited information on where they came from and some do not. The directions appear to be pretty straightforward though it might have been interesting to see the original recipe as well as the adapted version.


This piece is stronger as a cookbook than a historical work on cooking of the era. If you are interested in trying adaptions of early American recipes this is a book you should consider. If you are interested in a true culinary history of colonial America you should look elsewhere.






Thank you to Skyhorse Publishing for providing a complimentary review copy.

Press Release--Revolutionary Cooking: Over 200 Recipes Inspired by Colonial Meals

I received information on this soon to be released book a couple of days ago and want to share it with you. If you are at all interested in the Revolutionary War and colonial period in American history you will want to take a look at this book. It is going to contain over 200 recipes for modern Americans based upon foods that our ancestors would have eaten. I like that the recipes are being adapted to modern palates; that should make the book appeal to a wider audience.

YOU’RE “MINCEMEAT”!

AND OTHER COLONIAL DISHES TO START A REVOLUTION 

Revolutionary Cooking

Over 200 Recipes Inspired by Colonial Meals

By Virginia T. Elverson and Mary Ann McLanahan

Illustrated by Betty T. Duson

---

Time warp: now you can eat like the colonial men and women who lived during the American Revolution, sampling mincemeat, drinking beer for breakfast, and slurping Queens soup. Ranging from the simple to the sumptuous, always authentic, Revolutionary Cooking: Over 200 Recipes Inspired by Colonial Meals (Skyhorse Publishing, January 2014) tailors recipes discovered in cookbooks, family journals, and notebooks from 250 years ago to fit modern American palates.

Did you know that breakfast in the eighteenth century was also on the run, but instead of muffins, colonial men and women scarfed down mush and molasses? Or that, like many of us, the settlers enjoyed highly spiced foods, but unlike us, also relished the taste of slightly spoiled meat? Or that, at first, colonists didn’t understand how to make tea and instead stewed the tea leaves in butter, threw out what liquid collected, and munched on the leaves? These peculiar facts precede tried and tested recipes, some of which include:

 
      ·        Cold grapefruit soup

·        Madras artichokes

·        Apple-shrimp curry

·        Lemon flummery

·        Pumpkin chiffon pie

·        Raspberry tartlet

·        Stewed Cornish game hens

·        And many more!

Each chapter of recipes is introduced with accounts of how early Americans breakfasted, dined, drank, and entertained. The illustrations of utensils, tankards, porringers, and pots used in the early days are drawn from actual objects in major private and public collections of early Americana and make Revolutionary Cooking a great resource for American history enthusiasts.

History buffs can get a taste of our colonial roots with every meal, thanks to the exhaustive research and foolproof recipes featured in Revolutionary Cooking.

About the Authors and Illustrator

Virginia T. Elverson, Mary Ann McLanahan, and Betty T. Duson were members of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and its Bayou Bend Collection of American decorative arts. In addition to their research for this book, they studied and lectured in the field of early American furnishings and lifestyles. Virginia Elverson died in 2011 in Texas, Betty Duson died in 2003 in Texas, and Mary Ann McLanahan lives in Texas.

Revolutionary Cooking

Over 200 Recipes Inspired by Colonial Meals

By Virginia T. Elverson and Mary Ann McLanahan

Illustrated by Betty T. Duson

SkyhorsePublishing hardcover, also available as an ebook

On Sale: January 2014

ISBN: 978-1-62636-416-5

Price: $16.95