Cookbook time travel

Eating in the eighties

People tend to think that the past was better, happier, or safer than the present, even though that’s usually not true (source: this podcast episode). I try to catch myself when I start thinking this way, but some things from “the good old days” really are unique—like old cookbooks. 

Cookbooks capture the time and place in which they were written. They show you what the authors valued most about cooking and eating, and if the book was successful, what others valued, too. Old American cookbooks have a bad reputation (not wholly unearned) for containing bizarre and often awful recipes—but they tell us something about the habits, ingredients, circumstances, and priorities of their present. They’re a reminder that the variety and accessibility of recipes we enjoy now is relatively new. 

I found The Vegetarian Gourmet by Mickey and Dr. Florence Bienenfeld on a free book swap shelf. It’s a cookbook from 1987 focused on low-fat, low-cholesterol, low-salt, and sugar-free vegetarian cooking. I’m always drawn to vegetarian cookbooks, but this one looked far older than anything I’d see in stores today. (Note: for any readers who see 1987 and scoff at the idea of this as “old,” I get it. Old is relative and I mean no offense; this cookbook simply has decades on any other one in my kitchen.) I took it home with me and dove right in.

And for the most part, I laughed. While I’m sure the above dietary restrictions played a part, some recipes were truly outrageous.

I don’t know what flavor profile this is supposed to be, and I hope I never find out.

Amidst the noodle puddings, I noticed a few things:

• The soup recipes stood the test of time. Most of them looked like something I’d find on a recipe blog today. 

• The authors included muffins in the bread section of the cookbook. I’m curious if they did so because of their sugar-free approach to recipes, or if muffins didn’t always include as much sugar as they do now.

• An unbelievable number of recipes called for Grape-nuts cereal. I am certain I have never seen these in a grocery store, and yet, they were (are?) an American staple.  

• I kept wondering what we’ll think about today’s recipes 40 years from now. I hope it’s half as entertaining as these are.

No disrespect to Joy, but if someone told me I inspired a raisin-bran recipe, I’d never speak to them again.

The recipe descriptions were so much shorter than modern ones. Thirstquencher: will really quench your thirst. Who would’ve thought?

I appreciate what the past has to teach us. In the case of this cookbook, I also appreciate the humor it provides. I will 100% be cooking a few recipes from this book and cannot wait to see what holds up almost 40 years later. 

What I ate this week

I spent most of this past week feeling sick, so cooking wasn’t a priority. But two sweet friends brought me soup, citrus, crackers, and pastries to help me get through it.

A recommendation

If you’re interested in old recipes, B. Dylan Hollis cooks them in his TikTok videos. They’re hilarious and open a fascinating window into how Americans used to cook. 

A question