Tried and True Recipes: Third Book
Montgomery, Alabama: The Paragon Press, 1937.
AN ALABAMA RECORD OF HOUSEHOLD TRADITION.
A substantial regional cookbook compiled by Elizabeth Burford Bashinsky, Chairman of the Educational Committee of the Alabama Division, United Daughters of the Confederacy. Tried and True Recipes represents the long tradition of community cookbooks created to preserve household recipes, local customs, and regional foodways.
Compiled from contributions by members of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and organized by subject, the volume gathers hundreds of recipes ranging from soups and main dishes to breads, desserts, preserves, and beverages. Beyond its practical purpose, the book documents the domestic culture of early twentieth-century Alabama, including the names and locations of contributors whose recipes reflect a broad regional network.
This copy retains evidence of continued household use, including approximately 10–12 clipped newspaper recipes, one typed recipe, and one handwritten recipe preserved on an envelope. These additions transform the volume from a simple cookbook into a working record of culinary practice and personal recipe keeping.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Bound in red cloth with gilt lettering and ruled border decoration on the upper cover. The cloth has an unusual shimmering surface effect created by the weave and finish of the material. Octavo, approximately 9 inches tall. 494 pages with an index.
Includes contributor listings organized by regional chapter and 19 pages of contemporary local advertisements, providing additional documentation of the communities and businesses associated with the original publication.
CONDITION: Very Good. The bindings are tight and square. Text is clean; light, even age-toning. Moderate shelf handling wear. The red cloth binding shows rubbing, fading, and scattered areas of surface discoloration and pigment transfer, particularly along the edges and spine. Corners show wear consistent with use.
CULINARY SIGNIFICANCE — A SOUTHERN KITCHEN PRESERVED BY THE UNITED DAUGHTERS OF THE CONFEDERACY.
Community cookbooks occupy a unique place in American culinary history because they preserve more than recipes. They document the individuals, organizations, businesses, and regional traditions that shaped everyday domestic life. Tried and True Recipes reflects this tradition through its extensive contributor listings, regional organization, and inclusion of contemporary local advertisements.
Compiled under the Educational Committee of the Alabama Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the volume represents a collective effort to preserve household knowledge and regional cooking practices during a period when such traditions were increasingly being transformed by modern food production and changing domestic routines.
The advertisements, contributor listings, and wide range of submitted recipes provide a broader picture of Alabama community life in the late 1930s, making the book useful not only as a cookbook but also as a social document.
A WORKING COPY WITH ADDED RECIPE MATERIAL
This copy retains unusual evidence of continued use. The inserted newspaper recipe clippings, typed recipe, and handwritten recipe preserved on an envelope demonstrate how community cookbooks functioned in practice — not simply as published collections, but as working household references where new recipes were saved and incorporated over time.
SUBJECTS: Cooking, Recipes, Alabama, Southern cuisine, Domestic life, Community organizations, Women’s history, Local history,American cookbooks, Community cookbooks, Southern cookbooks, Alabama Americana, Regional Americana, Culinary history
Item #22304
Price: $175.00
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