HISTORICAL FOODWAYS Blog

Book Review: To the King’s Taste

The book is a bit dated, it was first published in 1975, and our knowledge of Medieval foodways has improved leaps and bounds since.  However, there are a few errors that I think are...

Pound Cake Project, Conclusion

I went into this project knowing that what we call pound cake today is far different from what pound cake was originally but I wanted to learn why there were such differences.  Along the...

Pound Cake Project, Part 5

I had originally intended to examine only four recipes but after seeing the dramatic changes between the previous two recipes, my curiosity was piqued and I wanted to see if a modern recipe, from...

Pound Cake Project, Part 4

The fourth recipe in this project finally takes us into the 20th century.  It comes from a book called The Perfect Hostess Cook Book, written by Mildred O’Knopf in 1950. This recipe’s format gives...

Pound Cake Project, Part 3

The third recipe for this project comes from an 1886 cookbook titled Mrs. Rorer’s Cook Book.  I own an original copy, not a facsimile and it’s in excellent condition.  I wonder how many books...

Pound Cake Project, Part 2

The recipe for the second installment of The Pound Cake Project comes from The Virginia Housewife, or Methodical Cook, by Mary Randolph.  This book was first published in 1824.  The copy that I own...