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1750 BCE
The Oldest Written Recipe- Culinary Tablets, Babylon
The oldest recorded written recipe comes from Babylonian tablets. Since writing and reading were rare skills used only by scribes, these recipes were written as historical records and not to be used to actually cook. The tablets have 25 recipes for stews alone!
Image: Yale Library
https://www.library.yale.edu/neareast/exhibitions/cuisine.html -
The First Children's Cookbooks Emerge!
Some of the first cookbooks for children emerge in the late 1800s. Cooking was marketed as a girls' domestic skill, exclusively. Titles included "Familiar Lessons For Little Girls: the arts of cookery" (Willard, 1881) and "Six Little Cooks, or Aunt Jane's Cooking Class" (Kirkland, 1877). Some books were narratives, with cooking instructions peppered throughout, such as "The Cooking Club of Tu-Whit Hollow" (Pratt, 1876). Source: "Children's Cookbooks," The Journal of Antiques & Collectibles -
When Mother Lets Us Cook
Constance Johnson publishes a non-narrative book with instructions for simple meals. The rhymes for remembering cooking tips make this book stand out, the basic skills and rules for different techniques made simple. Image: Google Books -
Kitchen Fun
Louise Price-Bell, a storybook author, publishes "Kitchen Fun: a Cook Book for Children, " another compilation of good basic recipes for the beginning cook: "Spicy Apple Sauce," with apples, cloves, and honey, is among the recipes, along with "Yummy Eggs." While the title denotes all children, the illustrations and descriptions of the child cooking are entirely female. Image: Culinary Types -
Boys Too?
"Kitchen Culture and America" mentions there were cookbooks marketed to boys starting in the 1940s, but they were few. Some acknowledged males: "The public schools should include in their curriculum... cooking for boys. The boy who cannot assemble an edible breakfast in fifteen minutes is unfitted for the duties of matrimony." (Davis). Boys were shown recipes that were more "masculine" like spareribs or stew, and seemed to be set as "occasional" cooks. (Inness) Image: Awful Library Books -
Betty Crocker's Cook Book for Boys and Girls
Betty Crocker, already well-known by the 1950s, publishes a cook book for young people. It features highly illustrated steps and different varieties and styles of cooking-- party treats like cakes and cookies, as well as campfire cooking recipes. Ready-made ingredients, like Bisquick, are mentioned.
Image: Internet Archive -
"The Basic Ingredients: Cookbooks for Children"
According to Carolyn Jenks' article in School Library Journal, the genre is well-established, with 139 children's cook books in print. Jenks notes that a key difference between children's cook books and those meant for the beginning adult cook were that they had more pictures, simpler instructions, and more about cooking safely. She notes that the best in the genre call for fresh foods, not junk, and that "including prepared mixes in a children's book is so unfair," a contrast to Betty Crocker. -
Expanding
Jo Osbourne's article from School Library Journal indicates more than basic culinary knowledge is now in vogue. Cookbooks mentioned in her article of a historical or cultural nature like the "Native American Cookbook" and the "Colonial Cookbook" and also include a section for "ethnic" cookbooks. Wierd or wacky cookbooks meant to draw children in, like "Science Experiments You Can Eat," are now on the scene. -
Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes
The parade of themed cookbooks continues with 1997's Roald Dahl compendium, authored by his wife, Felicity. Recipes include "Blackbird Pie" "Nutty Crunch Surprise," and "Mudburgers." Revolting? Only in name. Easy recipes for children? Yes. Image: Amazon.com -
"The Unofficial Harry Potter Cook Book" #1 Best Seller on Amazon
According to Amazon.com, the best-selling cook book for children currently has a Harry Potter tie-in. Despite the advice given in the 1977 article, "The Basic Ingredients: Cookbooks for Children" to avoid themes, that they are, "gimmicky, just devices to cash in on...famous names" (Jenks), this doesn't seem to stop the many fans of Harry Potter eager to try foods famous in the wizarding world. Image: amazon.com
