The Virginia House-wife

The 200-year-old cookbook every modern food lover needs Originally published in 1824, Mary Randolph's The Virginia House-wife has come to be regarded as the most influential American cookbook of the nineteenth century. This unique edition includes a complete facsimile of the original book-with recipes for delicacies such as lobster sauce and pumpkin pudding, and household tips on such things as curing bacon and making lavender water-plus additional recipes from the 1825 and 1828 editions. Historical notes by culinary historian Karen Hess explain Randolph's influence on American culinary history, and a new foreword by Debra Freeman emphasizes contributions of free and enslaved African American cooks to American cuisine.