One of the perks of my job is coming across some truly delightful vintage cookbooks. Long before glossy full page photographs of baked goods became the norm - cookbooks, if they included any images often featured some wonderful illustrations for the housewife to drool over. Many of the illustrated cookbooks tend to be 1910's to 1930's in origin - their colors are rich, wonderfully detailed and honesty, I think they sell the dishes pretty well.
I could share many, many a cookbook I come across but there's one in particular that deserves a blog post. We came across this one in particular - one published in German in 1937, at an estate sale among a collection of several early 1900's German books. It's filled with wonderful color and black and white illustrations and the most amazing and detailed font throughout.
When you consider the year - 1937 - this cookbook must have some stories to tell. It was the fourth year with Hitler as Chancellor and it is often considered the year his foreign policies began to radicalise. May the 6th saw the now infamous Hindenburg disaster. I get intrigued about cookbooks, especially foreign ones, how and when did it get out of Germany, who was the lady that was cooking from it in 1937? How they she and her family fare the war? Did the war push them to moving to America or did they leave decades after? It would be impressive find if the cookbook had survived the war upon a kitchen shelf in Germany when you consider just how much damage the allied forces pounded upon German cities (over 19 of Germany's major cities were destroyed 50% or more).
If only the pages could talk ...
If only the pages could talk ...
oh wow, what a treasure! Fascinating piece of history :)
ReplyDeleteI find old cookbooks fascinating. Personal history aside, food and cooking has changed a lot over the last century. Old menus are really interesting too. If that sort of thing intrigues you, the New York Public Library has scanned a lot of their (massive) menus collection and made them available online.
ReplyDeleteI actually love finding how the same old recipes (especially in say baking) haven't actually changed too much, although there has certainly been a big international influence in contemporary foods and what with eating healthy and all. In some ways I prefer baking with old recipes, especially mid century WW2 era cookbooks as they tend to be based and working around rations and often using the plain old ingredients any good baker should have in their standard cupboards rather than having to purchase a lot of new extra items for a one off cake.
DeleteI'll certainly be looking into the New York Library archives, that sounds like my thing for sure!
OK, these are seriously the coolest illustrations in a cook book I have seen!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe it survived everything either!
Better question: Can you read the cookbook? ;)
Oh how I wish I could ... I have to admit to not being able to make out the book's title!
DeleteOh if only!!! I'm sure the story behind the book is fascinating, but in itself, it's a gem! Those pastries look like they'd jump right out of the page into my mouth!
ReplyDeleteDon't they just and don't they work just as well as a fancy modern full page photograph?!
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