Wednesday, November 21, 2012

When Was the First Cookery Book for Children Published?


That's the question recently posed by the Guardian.

From the piece...

The history of cooking, and therefore the books that support it, is complicated by the question of who did the cooking at a time of servants? For which children would anyone have published cookery books at a time when those who couldn't read would be doing the cooking, while those who could read would not. 

Research into the antiquarian book world reveals that one of the earliest was Lucy Crump's Three Little Cooks, published in 1906. Although it is illustrated, the pictures are a far cry from the mouth-watering illustrations a reader would expect today. It contains few recipes as it is more of a play adventure - which deals with everything from buying a stove and utensils in a toyshop to cooking a seven-course meal.

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