When most people think of food, they think of the kitchen. Over time, terms have changed. For example, "recipe" is the modern word for the instructions for a home-cooked meal. Prior to the 1920s, however, the word "receipt" was used for this set of instructions - as well as the instructions for other home activities such as making cleaning products and medicine. When looking for historical texts, it can be helpful to use both of these terms in your search.
Historic recipes
Recipe book of Matilda Livingston Rogers
Matilda Livingston Rogers, compiled this recipe book in the United States after 1850.
Early 19th century American cookbooks
Four volumes of handwritten early 19th century American cookbooks, primarily containing recipes for desserts, pastries, and bread.
Cookery box
This small set of cookery materials from different sources includes eight volumes of Mexican recipes.
Whitney cookery collection
Collection consists of seventeen English and North American manuscripts dating from the early 15th century to the late 19th century, as well as over 200 printed books, acquired from the estate of Helen Hay Whitney in 1945.
The Whitney collection also has extensive printed recipe books that span a large date range. Many of the earliest copies are in the Rare Book Collection. The catalog is searchable by Helen Hay Whitney.
American cookery
The second edition (of 13) of the first cookbook written and published in the United States. By Amelia Simmons, 1796.
Receipts relating to physick and surgery
Over 1000 manuscript recipes compiled by Margaret Cavendish Holles Harley Bentinck, Duchess of Portland. In addition to ointments and elixirs, it includes jellies, almond milk, and "an excellent ale."
Nova︠i︡a polna︠i︡a povarenna︠i︡a kniga : sosto︠i︡ashcha︠i︡a iz 710 pravil ...
Possibly the earliest cookbook printed in Cyrillic at NYPL, this text contains German recipes translated by Ivan Navrotsky and published by the Artillery and Naval Engineers Cadet Corps in St. Petersburg, 1780.
Nutrition
People's Institute records
Among the many reform initiatives of the People's Institute, the Summer Health Program at P.S. 40 focused on nutrition and health - also an attempt to Americanize immigrant groups through food culture. This collection contains documentation and photographs of the Program.
Gay Men's Health Crisis records
Access to food and nutritional information has been a part of GMHC's services to people affected by HIV and AIDS since early in the organization's history. Included in the GMHC records are videos and interviews, which can be viewed onsite.
Home and household
The book of household management
Mrs. Beeton's best-selling 1861 compendium of recipes and guidance for Victorian home management. Several editions can be read on HathiTrust.
Dictionarium domesticum: being a new and compleat household dictionary, for the use both of city and country
An 18th century guide to the domestic arts, including bee-keeping, wine-making, baking, and pickling - all in alphabetical order.
The jonny-cake letters
A food-adjacent reminiscence by "Shepherd Tom" which centers around Phyllis, the African-American cook in his Rhode Island household.
The house servant's directory
Written by Robert Roberts in 1827, this is one of the first commercially-published texts by an African-American in the United States.
The Art of Cookery
Written by Hannah Glasse in 1747, The Art of Cookery is a classic in household management and cookery.
The Compleat Confectioner
Hannah Glasse also authored The Compleat Confectioner: or, The whole art of confectionary made plain and easy. This text focuses on preserving fruits as well as alcohol recipes - and even how to make fake fruit for decoration.
Food preparation and sourcing
A New Orchard and Garden...
1638 English text on growing fruit, grafting trees, cultivating herbs, and bee-keeping.
New York World's Fair 1939 and 1940 Incorporated records
Emerging out of the Great Depression and austerity, the 1939 World's Fair emphasized the modern home and technology. In the Food Zone, visitors saw a demonstration of a Coca-Cola bottling plant, a mechanical milking machine operated by Borden Co. dairy producers, and a field of wheat planted to make Wonder Bread by Continental Baking. There were model kitchens with refrigeration, and the celebration of frozen food technology.
Tolley baking records
Includes recipes, recipe notebooks, photographs, conference reports, printed material, and a small amount of correspondence documenting the careers of the family in the American commercial baking industry.
Daybook of New York City grocer
Daybook of a store in the vicinity of 32nd Street and Fifth Avenue, New York City. Lists names of purchasers; prices of meats, fruits, and vegetables.
The oyster; where, how and when to find, breed, cook, and eat it.
An extremely thorough 19th century volume on oysters in Europe and America.
Gutleben collection
Documents compiled during research on the sugar industry in the United States.
The true art of angling...
One of the many, many books in about the tricks and techniques for catching fish - for sport or subsistence.