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Introduction
Cooking in the early 1900s was very different from what we see today. There were different tools to cook, the equipment was not as efficient, and the ingredients were not of the same quality. One commonality between the past and present was the use of cookbooks. Cookbooks date back further than the 1900s, but the 20th century showed significant similarities and improvements to the presentation and quality of cookbooks. -
Introduction Continued
Specifically, American cookbooks in the early 1900s were historically significant. Gvion (2015) said the writers often included foreign dishes and dressed them up as “American”. However, the amount of creditable foreign cookbooks increased as the century progressed. The overall goal for cookbooks in the United States was to include dishes from all over the world and use them in America. -
Good Things to Eat by Rufus Estes
Good Things to Eat by Rufus Estes was published in 1911. It contains a personalized list of American and African recipes from Rufus’s life. There were certain ingredients in the recipes that are not commonplace today like Opossum. Rufus also used terms like “Game” to describe a main ingredient in a list of dishes. While this kind of term is not modernly used, it laid the groundwork for dishes in modern times. -
The Neighborhood Cook Book
The Neighborhood Cook Book is from 1914 in Oregon. It contains several older and foundational American recipes. It orders recipes in daily order of when it was common to eat them starting with breakfast and ending with dessert. Recipes from this era commonly used similar ingredients and spices. Additionally, this cookbook provided historical backgrounds related to certain dishes so that the reader could understand the process more deeply. -
Encyclopedia Cookbook by Ruth Berolzheimer
Encyclopedia Cookbook by Ruth Berolzheimer was published in 1968. It contains many recipes for every level of expertise in cooking, from beginner to expert. The recipes range from basic broccoli all the way to Artichoke Shuffle. Additionally, the book offers a variety of food suggestions for any occasion, menus, and table settings for each holiday, with more than 10,000 recipes and a variety of food facts and ideas. -
Natural Cooking the Old-fashioned Way by Robert W Pelton
Natural Cooking the Old-fashioned Way by Robert W. Pelton was published in 1975. It contains recipes from the colonies of pre-Revolutionary War days. Additionally, there are recipes from the 1800’s. A lot of these recipes were passed down from the author's family to him. Other recipes are classics and known to be liked by notable families in the past. -
Bibliography - Secondary Source
Gvion, Liora. 2009. “What’s Cooking in America? Cookbooks 1850–1990.” Food, Culture Society 12 (1): 53–76. doi:10.2752/155280109X368660. -
Bibliography - Primary Sources
Berolzheimer, Ruth. 1968. Encyclopedia Cookbook. Culinary Arts Institute. “Good Things to Eat, as Suggested by Rufus : A Collection of Practical Recipes for Preparing Meats, Game, Fowl, Fish, Puddings, Pastries, Etc.” 2025. Msu.edu. 2025. https://d.lib.msu.edu/fa/37. Pelton, Robert W. 1975. Natural Cooking the Old-fashioned Way. A.S. Barnes. “The Neighborhood Cook Book.” 2025. Msu.edu. 2025. https://d.lib.msu.edu/fa/54.