Researching Food History

George Cruikshank illustrated the custom of tossing the pancake on Pancake Day/Shrove Tuesday, in the 1837 edition of Comic Almanac. A desc...

The large snowfalls (45") in the mid Atlantic area has caused a sudden popularity of Snow Cream recipes on the internet, and local news...

For centuries cooks have used the gridiron as one way to prepare meat, fish, poultry, and vegetables. Hearth cooks often misuse the gridiron...

The candy thermometer did not become available to most housekeepers until the early 1900s when appeared in advertisements and recipes. The p...

Whether silver or part of a china set, the tureen is a glorious piece for the table. During the Federal period it was generally placed at th...

Two pictures, from 1869 and 1794, show celebrating Twelfth Night and the cakes. 

Sometimes called New York Cookies since several New York authors, including Washington Irving, included the imprinted cookies in their ficti...

The 'Christmas' Plum Pudding during the Victorian Era became distinguished from the centuries old plum puddings. It contained rich i...

"Christmas in the South - Egg Nog Party" from Harper's Weekly , Dec. 31, 1870.  Links to recipes and literary references... ...

A huge variety of baskets have been used over the centuries to take produce to market, as seen in this Market Scene from 1550 by Aertsen. Cl...

The James River and centuries old methods divide the Virginia hams prepared in Colonial Williamsburg from those by the Edwards’ Ham Company ...

Eliza Leslie included a recipe for Cranberry Sauce in 1840 using brown sugar.

Although Lydia Maria Child (1802-1880) today is best known for her cookbooks, most people have sung "Over the river, and through the wo...

  Each state archives contains copies or original records from local courthouses and other government agencies, but the years vary with e...

Excerpt from: Edmund Morris. How to get a Farm, and where to find one . NY: 1864.

Ducking for Apples

Ivan Day created a dessert table in two U.S. museums with his exquisite sugar creations and extensively researched food displays.

14 events in 2009

Most museums contain a library available to the public. It may be one room in a small local museum or a large collection of books and manusc...