I started collecting vintage cookbooks about three years ago, but not for the recipes – for the food photography. Food photography has come a long way since the 60’s and 70’s. But you can’t blame the nasty-looking food entirely on the pictures – there were also a lot of recipes that make you want to laugh and puke at the same time. Some of my favorite “delicacies” and “luxuries” include Weiner Winner Pizza, Molded Pork Loaf (shown below with the caption Cool Molded Pork Loaf is an appetizing work of art.), Danish Garden Salad (the white loaf shown below) and Spicy Liverwurst-Ham Nibblers. I personally think of Jello as a dessert food, but some of the best savory food photography and recipes in my collection come from the pages of my vintage Jello cookbooks. So, a toast to my readers: “May all of your culinary endeavors be more appetizing than this.”
10 comments:
Love your blog. I too collect vintage cookbooks. The first few cam from my Grandma. The cookbooks from the depression era are quite interesting: bologna cups with peas (a favorite, I am sure!). I also enjoy the booklets that came from extension offices and such. Have you ever noticed the depiction of women/girls in vintage cookbooks? Rarely do they (photos or drawings) make eye contact with the reader- but the men are looking dead on! Mmmmmm. Keep up the great work and thanks for providing a great blog!
I love your blog too, i think i can learn how to eat good food here!
yum!
I'm with you--nothing like a beautiful picture of food. Have you seen homesicktexan's website? She is a professional photographer and has some great pics of food on her blog. If you get a chance,check out www.homesicktexan.blogspot.com
Great recommendation. Homesick Texan has beautiful food shots – AND some good looking recipes. I've added it to my ever-growing list of cooking blog feeds.
delicioso!!!
nice!!!
www.marmanaloto.blogspot.com
Hey there - I have a wonderful old copy of Larousse's Gastronomique. The colour plates are spectacular.
I have a fairly old copy of Mrs Beeton's too and I found this recipe in it, (link below)
http://lalaweenworld.blogspot.com/2006/06/mrs-beeton.html
I would love to see if there is anything I can make with all the ingredients ;o)
I'm worried - or more to the point - put in my place - I used to love serving up these delicacies with lots of gelatine
how times have changed
is it worth a history of food presentation?
how fun! and a little disturbing - those molds frighten me....
Hello fellow vintage cookbook collector. I was searching Blog Land for kindred spirits & found you. My blog is a hodge podge of many things, but I've blogged a lot recently about vintage cookbooks & modernizing the recipes. Stop by sometime.
For your daily dose of vintage goodness & a bit of silliness, stop by Confessions of an Apron Queen, the home of Vintage Thingies Thursdays.
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