Scrumptious History is a series of finger-licking posts that focus on sources and resources to understand historical recipes better, explore the cultural implications of food, and enjoy it through words as well as on a plate (or twelve).
This list of free historical cookbooks is as much a checklist for me as it is a way to share what I find around the Internet with you, so don’t hesitate to let me know if you try any of the recipes they contain at home. I’ll come back to this post to update it as I find “new” old books, and I’ll let you know how the results turn out when I try them in separate posts in the Food section of the blog.
Note: I’m well aware that there are hundreds of thousands of fantastic historical cookbooks out there, from Siberia to Patagonia, but I’ve only selected books in languages that I can actually read (in translation, in some cases) in order to make sure that I knew what I was talking about. Additionally, this collection has no vocation of being exhaustive; I just pick what I find of interest on a very subjective basis. That said, don’t hesitate to contact me if you find cool historical cookbooks.
Classical Era
De re coquinaria (“On Cooking”)
Anonymous author(s), attributed to Marcus Gavius Apicius | 14th century, England
There’s a bit of a debate on this one since based on textual analysis, food scholars now believe that the surviving version only dates from the 5th century (that is, the end of the Roman Empire); while it should technically be in the Middle Ages category, it seems to be a compilation of older recipes, hence my choice to keep it here. Meats, sauces, salads, sweets; it’s all in De re coquinaria, which boasts 492 recipes.
Language: Latin, translated to English with a glossary, suggested substitutions and Roman weights and measures conversion (anonymous translator)
Source: Celnet Recipes (archived)
Format(s): .html
Note: Also available in another translation on Project Gutenberg.
Middle Ages
Entrée: A Glossary of Medieval Cooking Terms
As Middle English is slightly different from contemporary English, you might find it difficult to understand some medieval recipes at times. For example, “cury” means “cooking” from the French verb “cuire” (“to cook”). Fortunately, the excellent people at Gode Cookery have put together a glossary of Medieval cooking terms to help you on your cooking adventures.
Al-Andalus Cookbook
Anonymous author(s) | 13th century, Andalucía
Now that’s not something you see every day. Compiled by a scribe in the 1400s, this anonymous Al-Andalus Cookbook contains recipes copied from a number of older works in the 1200s. Candida Martinelli has done a truly extraordinary job of re-organising the recipes and adding all necessary explanations.
Language: Arabic [Translated to English by Charles Perry and edited by Candida Martinelli]
Source: Candida Martinelli’s Italophile Site
Format(s): .pdf
A Boke of Gode Cookery
James Matterer | 1979*, England
James Matterer has an academic background in both culinary arts and history, which has made it possible for him to research, compile, document, transcribe, and adapt medieval recipes since 1979. His website is a festival of excellent resources. His recipes range from the 13th to the 16th century and come with modernised versions as well as an authenticity ranking. A priceless source.
Language: English
Source: Gode Cookery
Format(s): .html
The Forme of Cury
Anonymous author(s) | 14th century, England
This roll is referenced in many subsequent works. It is a roll of ancient English cookery, compiled in about A.D. 1390, by the master cooks of King Richard II, presented afterwards to Queen Elizabeth by Edward Lord Stafford. Illustrated with notes, a copious index, and a glossary.
Language: English
Source: Library of Congress
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg
16th Century
A Propre new booke of Cokery
James Matterer | 1545, England
Another wonderful gift from James Matterer who transcribed, translated, and edited for contemporary use 49 recipes from the Renaissance. On the menu: capons in white broth, cherry tart, venison, etc.
Language: English
Source: Gode Cookery
Format(s): .html
Read A Propre new booke of Cokery
The convolute Gent KANTL 15 manuscript, vol. I
Anonymous Author(s) | ca. 1560, The Netherlands
What an interesting endeavour this is! Christianne Muusers took western codicology and palaeography at the University of Utrecht (The Netherlands) which, combined with her passion for food, made her just the right person to transcribe and translate this 16th-century convolute (several manuscripts are gathered in one binding). There aren’t too many medieval Dutch cookery manuscripts out there, so this one is a wonderful find that I’m sure you’ll appreciate.
Language: Middle Dutch [translated to modern Dutch and English by Christianne Muusers]
Source: Royal Academy of Dutch Language and Literature (Ghent, Belgium) / Coquinaria
Format(s): .html
Read The convolute Gent KANTL 15 manuscript, vol. I
17th Century
Opera dell’arte del cucinare (“Work of the Art of Cooking”)
Bartolomeo Scappi | 1605, Italy
With over 1,000 recipes (not counting the descriptions of techniques and tools, including the first known drawing of a fork), Opera dell’arte del cucinare truly is a monumental affair, and certainly the most extensive account of what cooking looked like in the Italian Renaissance.
Language: Italian [English translation by Terence Scully]
Source: Library of Congress
Formats: .pdf, .jpeg
Read Opera dell’arte del cucinare
A daily exercise for ladies and gentlewomen
John Murrell | 1617, England
Translated to modern English, the full title reads, “A daily exercise for ladies and gentlewomen: in which they may learn and practise the whole art of making pastries, preserves, marmalades, conserves, tart stuffing, jellies, bread, candies, cordial waters, fancy desserts of several kinds: as also to dry lemons, oranges, or other fruits: in a new collection of wonderful recipes used both by honourable and worshipful people.” I don’t know about the honourable and worshipful people, but as far as the recipes are concerned, the book delivers.
Language: English
Source: Library of Congress
Formats: .pdf, .jpeg
Read A daily exercise for ladies and gentlewomen
The Accomplish’d lady’s delight in preserving, physick, beautifying, and cookery
Hannah Woolley | 1675, England
Like many publications targeted at women in the 17th century (and in the 21st too, mind), The Accomplish’d lady’s delight in preserving, physick, beautifying, and cookery doesn’t only deal with cooking, but with all sorts of demented beauty tips—proceed at your own risk in that department. Other than that, The Accomplishe’d Lady has some solid dessert recipes.
Language: English
Source: Library of Congress
Formats: .pdf, .jpeg
Read The Accomplish’d lady’s delight in preserving, physick, beautifying, and cookery
The queen-like closet, or, Rich cabinet
Hannah Woolley | 1684, England
Hannah Woolley is back with a vengeance, this time with the promise of “all manner of rare receipts for preserving, candying and cookery,” which she believes will be “very pleasant and beneficial to all ingenious persons of the female sex.” I’ll let you be the judge of that.
Language: English
Source: Library of Congress
Formats: .pdf, .jpeg
Read The queen-like closet, or, Rich cabinet
Le Cuisinier roïal et bourgeois (“The royal and conventional cook”)
François Massialot | 1698, France
François Massialot invented the crème brûlée, so I guess we can trust him. His book is very detailed, which makes it possible for us to imagine exactly what a late 17th-century meal looked like, including how you should set the table if you ever accidentally fell down in a time vortex or something.
Language: French
Source: Library of Congress
Formats: .pdf, .jpeg
Read Le Cuisinier roïal et bourgeois
18th Century
The art of cookery, in imitation of Horace’s Art of poetry
William King | 1709, England
I won’t blame you if you think that this book is a joke, especially since (1) it is a parody of Horace, and (2) the copy held at the Library of Congress is inscribed to the Beef Steak Club. That said, it does contain entertaining comments on food and cooking, and entirely rhymed at that!
Language: Latin/English
Source: Library of Congress
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg
Read The art of cookery, in imitation of Horace’s Art of poetry
Court cookery
Robert Smith | 1725, England
I know that mentally, I’m a six-year-old, because the phrase “soops, pottages, fricasseys” makes me giggle every time I see it. Solid pie game though.
Language: English
Source: Library of Congress
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg
Five hundred new receipts in cookery, confectionary, pastry, preserving, conserving, pickling
John Middleton | 1734, England
With a very detailed set of instructions for carving “according to the terms of art” and a glossary. Chocolate tart, potato pie, calves foot pudding, cockle soup… a healthy mix of classics that have survived until today, and more intriguing recipes.
Language: English
Source: Library of Congress
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg
Read Five hundred new receipts in cookery, confectionary, pastry, preserving, conserving, pickling
Le cuisinier gascon (“The Cook from Gascony”)
Anonymous author(s) | 1734, The Netherlands
Although it was published in The Netherlands, Le cuisinier gascon refers to the region of Gascony in the southwest of France, so it is rather heavy in foie gras and anchovies, with a lot of Spanish and Italian influences thrown in for good measure. It is an interesting little book. Let me know when you find the veal’s eyes recipe!
Language: French
Source: Library of Congress
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg
Les soupers de la Cour (“The Court’s dinners”)
Joseph Menon | 1755, France
On top of the traditional season-themed menus and other bouillons, this cookbook has an interesting 7-course menu (with seven entrées and five mains) whose main focus is… eggs. Fascinating.
Language: French [Anonymous English translation from 1767]
Source: Gallica (Bibliothèque nationale de France)
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg
The compleat confectioner, or, The whole art of confectionary made plain and easy
Hannah Glass | ca. 1770, England
Everything about preserving and candying all kinds of fruit, flowers and herbs, and making sweets. And honestly, some of those recipes look very, very good.
Language: English
Source: Library of Congress
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg
Read The compleat confectioner, or The whole art of confectionary made plain and easy
L’art de bien faire les glaces d’office, ou, Les vrais principes pour congeler tous les rafraîchissements (“The art of making ice-cream well, or, the true principles to freeze all refreshments”)
Emy M. | 1768, France
I don’t know about you, but it always blows my mind to think that they made ice-cream in the 18th century. I wouldn’t try those recipes as there are ingredients in there that do sound toxic, but it is an interesting historical artefact.
Language: French
Source: HathiTrust Digital Library
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg, .epub, .txt, .zip, .tiff
Suzanna MacIver | 1784, Scotland
Pies, syrups, jams, pickles; all the staples are in MacIver’s Cookery and pastry. My personal highlight: how to make ketchup.
Language: English
Source: Library of Congress
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg
Mary Cole | 1788, England
Probably the most extensive list of mutton recipes I’ve ever seen. Bonus: there’s a complete guide in the art of brewery, so if you’ve always dreamt of brewing your own beer 18th-century-style, this book is for you.
Language: English
Source: Library of Congress
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg
Read The lady’s complete guide; or, Cookery in all its branches
Cakes, sweetmeats, cream, wines, bread, muffins, dyes
Anonymous author(s) | ca. 1788, England
What a charming little thing! This notebook is entirely handwritten (you’ll need to be familiar with cursive in order to use it) and it is full of tried and tested idiosyncratic recipes. I love how it gives us a real insight into how everyday cooking was done in the late 18th century in England. That anonymous author certainly liked her wine.
Language: English
Source: HathiTrust Digital Library
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg, .epub, .txt, .zip, .tiff
Read Cakes, sweetmeats, cream, wines, bread, muffins, dyes
Doncaster recipes
Anonymous author(s) | ca. 1790, England
The Doncaster recipes are another collection of handwritten recipes by an anonymous author. As the title suggests, the manuscript originates from Doncaster (Yorkshire). Each recipe comes with the name of the person who gave it to the author, for an extra layer of lovely authenticity.
Language: English
Source: HathiTrust Digital Library
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg, .epub, .txt, .zip, .tiff
Susannah Carter | 1796, U.S.A.
Susannah Carter’s Frugal housewife (which in my head will forever be “Frugal Housewives and Where to Find them”) purports to give us a ” proper arrangement of dinners, two courses, for every month of the year.” Lots of fricassées and ragouts.
Language: English
Source: Library of Congress
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg
Anonymous author(s)| 1796, France
What a weird flex to write a book about one’s cook‘s recipes. It feels like someone didn’t know how to cook at all, but still wanted to make a quick buck through the exploitation of the working class. Apparently, not enough heads had rolled during the previous decade. Beautiful trout recipes though.
Language: French
Source: Library of Congress
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg
Read Le manuel de la friandise; ou, Les talents de ma cuisinière Isabeau mis en lumière
19th Century
Arte de cocina, pastelería, vizcochería, y conservería (“Art of cooking, cake-making, biscuit-making, and preserves”)
Francisco Martinez Montiño | 1809, Spain
As Francisco Martinez Montiño had been head chef in the King’s kitchen, he had a trick or two up his sleeve when it came to preparing a royal banquet. I suggest having a look at his three-page long Christmas menu.
Language: Spanish
Source: HathiTrust Digital Library
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg, .txt, .tiff
The French cook
Louis Eustache Ude | 1828, U.S.A
Louis Eustache Ude successively worked as a cook for King Louis XVI and the Earl of Sefton, and as a steward to the Duke of York, which sort of makes him the Escoffier of his time. The French cook counts many traditional French recipes, some explanations about the French cooking vocabulary, and considerations on what it takes to be a chef.
Language: English
Source: HathiTrust Digital Library
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg, .txt, .tiff
Nuevo y sencillo arte de cocina, repostería y refrescos (“New and simple art of cooking, baking and refreshments”), vol. I & vol. II
Antonia Carrillo | 1836, Mexico
It would do justice to this cookbook to call it an encyclopedia of 19th-century Mexican cookery. It’s all in there, from tamales to buñuelos, to say nothing of the long list of asados. A ridiculously mouth-watering experience.
Language: Spanish
Source: HathiTrust Digital Library
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg, .txt, .tiff
Receipts for cooking the most favourite dishes, in general use in India: also for preparing chatney and India pickle
Hadjee Allee | 1847, Probably England
This one really piqued my curiosity. The frontispiece of the cookbook mentions that Hadje Allee was born in Calcutta. There is a record of an Abdullah Hadjee Allee, born in Calcutta in 1806, who married a Londoner, Emma Parr, with whom he had three children and resided at Boston Place (London) while working as a cook. It is a shame that the cookbook is so short (only 32 pages), but it does cover some serious bases.
Language: English
Source: HathiTrust Digital Library
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg, .txt, .tiff
Modern cookery, in all its branches
Eliza Acton | 1847, England
Before Isabella Beeton, there was Eliza Acton, not only chronologically, but also conceptually, since Beeton plagiarised a fair deal of Acton’s recipes. Modern cookery contains the first recorded mentions in an English cookbook of Christmas pudding, spaghetti, and Brussels sprouts.
Language: English
Source: HathiTrust Digital Library
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg, .epub, .txt, .zip, .tiff
Read Modern cookery, in all its branches
The book of household management
Isabella Beeton | 1861, England
Presented as “comprising information for the mistress, housekeeper, cook, kitchen-maid, butler, footman, coachman, valet, upper and under house-maids, lady’s maid, maid-of-all-work, laundry-maid, nurse and nurse-maid, monthly, wet, and sick nurses, etc., also, sanitary, medical, & legal memoranda with a history of the origin, properties, and uses of all things connected with home life and comfort”, The Book of household management indeed has all that, but it is first and foremost a wonderful cookbook.
Language: English
Source: The Internet Archive
Format(s): .pdf, .epub, etc.
A domestic cook book: containing a careful selection of useful receipts for the kitchen
Malinda Russell | 1866, U.S.A.
Generally regarded as the first ever published cookbook by an African American woman, A domestic cook book: containing a careful selection of useful receipts for the kitchen by Malinda Russell differs from Robert Roberts’ The House Servant’s Directory (1827) and Tunis Gulic Campbell’s Hotel Keepers, Head Waiters and Housekeepers’ Guide (1848) in that, according to food historians, those were “as a reflection of who was being served more than who was doing the serving.” Plus, A domestic cook book isn’t so much about running a kitchen as it is about cooking. Interestingly, Malinda Russel herself cooked after white women’s cookbooks (for lack of any other type of cookbooks at the time) but included African American staple dishes she liked in her own book, granting Russel her status of Southern cuisine icon. Don’t miss Malinda Russel’s very interesting biography by Janice Bluestein Longone at the beginning of the book.
Language: English
Source: HathiTrust Digital Library
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg, .epub, .txt, .zip, .tiff
Read A domestic cook book: containing a careful selection of useful receipts for the kitchen
What Mrs. Fisher knows about old southern cooking, soups, pickles, preserves, etc.
Abby Fisher | 1881, U.S.A.
What Mrs. Fisher knows about old southern cooking, soups, pickles, preserves, etc. is believed to be the second published cookbook by an African American woman after A domestic cook book: containing a careful selection of useful receipts for the kitchen by Malinda Russell in 1866. According to an article by Kat Eschner published in The Smithsonian Magazine in 2017, Abby Fisher had been enslaved and by the time her cookbook was published, she ran a business in San Francisco which had won her prizes at the state fair for best preserves, best jellies, and best pickles. Many of her recipes seem to have stood the test of time and still sound resolutely modern.
Language: English
Source: Library of Congress
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg
Read What Mrs. Fisher knows about old southern cooking, soups, pickles, preserves, etc.
La cuisine creole: a collection of culinary recipes from leading chefs and noted Creole housewives, who have made New Orleans famous for its cuisine
Anonymous author(s) | 1885, U.S.A.
La Cuisine créole is a proper ode to New Orleans, its food, and its people. Gombos, dozens of oyster recipes, jambalaya, bouillabaisse,… The Belgians among us will be particularly interested in the “fricandellons.”
Language: English
Source: Michigan State University Digital Repository
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg, .txt
Cooks in clover: reliable recipes
Ladies of the North Reformed Church (Passaic, N.J.) | 1889, U.S.A.
Presented in a nice little format, Cooks in clover has no less than three types of chilli sauces, all kinds of pickles and gravies, and at least twenty sorts of pudding. I’m very intrigued by the egg vermicelli.
Language: English
Source: Library of Congress
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg
Svensk-Amerikansk Kokbok / Swedish-English Cookbook
Sophia Lindhal | 1897, U.S.A.
Engberg-Holmberg was one of the 343 Swedish-language publishing houses in the U.S. whose aim was to cater to the Swedish community in America. And what is more nostalgic of the old country than the recipes of yore? The result is an interesting mix of Swedish recipes translated to English (especially in the seafood and sauces & pickles departments) and American recipes translated to Swedish (if you’ve always wanted to know what hamburgers looked like in the 19th century, this is the right book for you). If you can read between the lines, Svensk-Amerikansk Kokbok also paints an informative painting of a lesser-known migrant community in the U.S. With fifty illustrations.
Language: Bilingual Swedish/English
Source: HathiTrust Digital Library
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg, .txt, .tiff
Read Svensk-Amerikansk Kokbok / Swedish-English Cookbook
Early 20th Century
The North End Club cook book: a collection of choice and tested recipes
North End Club | 1905, U.S.A.
The foreword of this small cookbook reads, “[w]ith much pleasure the ladies of The North End Club present this little volume of tested recipes to the public, hoping that it may prove a true friend. Originality is not claimed for it. Each one has chosen of the best from her store with the consciousness of sharing with another some of the joys of life.” You’ve been warned: don’t expect groundbreaking recipes here, just the classics.
Language: English
Source: Library of Congress
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg
Read The North End Club cook book: a collection of choice and tested recipes
A bachelors cupboard; containing crumbs culled from the cupboards of the great unwedded
A. Lyman Phillips | 1906, U.S.A.
The early 20th century sees the emergence of a new genre of cookbooks: collections of recipes aimed at gentlemen—and more specifically, at bachelors. Phillips’ A bachelor’s cupboard; containing crumbs culled from the cupboards of the great unwedded is the earliest specimen of the genre I have identified so far.
Language: English
Source: Library of Congress
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg
Read A bachelors cupboard; containing crumbs culled from the cupboards of the great unwedded
A guide to modern cookery
Auguste Escoffier | 1907, England
A classic. If you are not familiar with Auguste Escoffier, he was a prominent chef in the late 19th /early 20th century. His six-year experience as a cook in the army during the Franco-Prussian War gave him the idea of the hierarchical brigade de cuisine system to bring order to the chaos that restaurant kitchens often were at the time, and his system is still in use nowadays. Dubbed the “king of chefs and chef of kings” by the press, he rose to fame while working in the troika of 19th-century London fine dining: the Ritz, the Savoy, and the Carlton. He’s generally credited for inventing pêche Melba, bombe Néro, and tournedos Rossini.
Language: English
Source: The Internet Archive
Format(s): .pdf, .epub, etc.
Read A guide to modern cookery
Household science and arts for elementary schools
Josephine Morris | 1913, U.S.A.
Household science and arts for elementary schools is exactly what the title indicates: a home economics manual. It has recipes for absolute beginners and is well-structured. It is an interesting little snapshot of what it was like to learn how to cook in the 1910s.
Language: English
Source: Library of Congress
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg
The Fredericksburg home kitchen cook book
Ladies Auxiliary of Fredericksburg, Texas | 1916, U.S.A.
Published in September 1916 to raise money for the local school. Each recipe is signed by the lady who contributed it to the collection.
Language: English
Source: Library of Congress
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg
Read The Fredericksburg home kitchen cook book
The khaki kook book; a collection of a hundred cheap and practical recipes mostly from Hindustan
Mary Kennedy Core | 1917, U.S.A.
As the British colons in India believed that the Indians only used the word ‘Hindustan’ to refer to North India, it is not surprising to find mainly recipes from the Himalayas in the Khaki kook book. Most of the recipes presented there were given to the author by her friend, Lilavate Singh, and adapted to the American palate and available products.
Language: English
Source: Library of Congress
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg
Eggless recipe book for cakes, cookies, muffins, and desserts
Orloff H. Thompson | 1917, U.S.A.
While it is not explained why such a book of eggless recipes came into being, one might suspect given the date (1917) that it may have had to do with rationing. All the same, I am sure it will come in handy for people who have an egg allergy, for example.
Language: English
Source: Library of Congress
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg
Read Eggless recipe book for cakes, cookies, muffins, and desserts
Gancel’s culinary encyclopedia of modern cooking
Joseph Gancel | 1920, U.S.A.
With its 520 pages, Gancel’s Culinary encyclopedia of modern cooking is a rather complete collection of French recipes not only translated to English but also adapted for an American audience.
Language: English
Source: Library of Congress
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg
Read Gancel’s culinary encyclopedia of modern cooking
The Stag Cook Book: Written for Men by Men
Carroll Mac Sheridan | 1922, U.S.A.
The Stag Cook Book is another specimen of the “cookbooks for bachelors” genre. In this volume, Carroll Mac Sheridan compiled recipes by 102 men (though how they were chosen will forever remain a mystery), ranging from spaghetti to veau sauté Marengo. I’m personally very intrigued by the Hawaiian croquettes à la “The bird of paradise“.
Language: English
Source: Project Gutenberg
Format(s): .html, .epub, .txt
Read The Stag Cook Book: Written for Men by Men
Cook book: New Southern Recipes
Mary Elizabeth (Carson) Warren | 1922, U.S.A.
Another book of Southern cuisine, and honestly, why not; there’s always a new recipe to be found. Mary Elizabeth Warren’s cookbook has a nice little section about candies, and examples of complete Sunday menus from A to Z as well as weekday menus, breakfast included.
Language: English
Source: Library of Congress
Format(s): .pdf, .jpeg
Read Cook book: New Southern Recipes
All texts and pictures ©Ms. Unexpected unless stated otherwise. Header picture courtesy of Clem Onojeghuo. Cookbook illustrations: free of rights.
Last updated: 20 July 2022