Hello everyone! Several weeks ago, during a visit to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, I had an opportunity to visit the collections department of the museum and view Mary Harlan Lincoln’s cookbook. Cookbooks have a long and notable history. Four clay tablets dating back to 1700 BCE discovered in what was once Mesopotamia are thought to be the first recorded version of a cookbook. Another ancient example of a cookbook dates back to the 4th or 5th century. The book contains a collection of Greek and Roman dishes and ingredients include camel heels, peacock tongue, flamingo brains, and parrot heads. These ingredients and recipes would have been used by members of the lower-class to prepare meals exclusively enjoyed by the rich, upper-classes of society.

However, as mass printing and publishing developed in the 15th century and literacy rates began to rise in the 17th century, cookbooks became less of a luxury and more customary. In the spring of 1796, a woman named Amelia Simmons wrote what is believed to be the first cookbook written by an American and published in the United States. Women were the primary authors of American cookbooks and were an integral part of the publishing business by the mid-19th century. By the 20th century, cookbooks were some of the most popular bestsellers; when “Betty Crocker’s Cookbook” was first published in 1950, its sales rivaled that of the Bible. Today, millions of recipes are online and cookbooks are continuously sold in the thousands. For more information on the history of cookbooks, consider reading The Origin and Early Development of Modern Cookbooks by Henry Notaker, “Feeding America: The Historic American Cookbook Project” by Jan Longone, or “From Egyptian tombs to modern days: The history of cookbooks” by Tracy Mumford.

Mary Harlan Lincoln’s cookbook, housed in the collections department of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois.

Cookbooks, like a diary or journal, tell the reader what was important to the author or collector of recipes at the time. Mary Harlan Lincoln’s collection of recipes included directions on how to cure bacon, make Rose’s cookies, and create popcorn hominy. These recipes demonstrate what influenced Mary’s life as she was collecting for her cookbook over time. Maybe bacon was Mary Harlan Lincoln’s favorite food. Perhaps the Rose of Rose’s cookies was Mary’s neighbor when her family lived in Chicago. Maybe the popcorn hominy was a childhood treat Mary brought to Washington, DC to remember her Midwestern roots. We may never know with certainty, but each recipe provides a glimpse into the past and Mary Harlan Lincoln’s life.

On behalf of the Friends of the Harlan-Lincoln House and Iowa Wesleyan University, thank you for your continued support.

Madison Pullis

Director of the Harlan-Lincoln House