Call Number:

Ms. Codex 2125

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts

Extent:

1 volume

Language:

English

Date:

circa 1805

Form:

Cookbooks, Codices (bound manuscripts), and Recipes

Abstract:

This volume was written and compiled around 1805 by C.M. Jones, who likely lived in England. This volume contains 22 recipes attributed to numerous individuals known to Jones. Of the recipes, nine are for wines, five are culinary, and eight are for household products.

An inscription on the pastedown endpaper indicates that this recipe book was written and compiled by C.M. Jones. Little else is known about C.M. Jones's identity, but one of the recipes is attributed to a Mrs. H. Powell from Eaton, indicating that this manuscript originates from England.

Based on the creator's literacy and the variety of ingredients present in this volume, it can be inferred that this recipe book represents a creator with relative financial stability and means.

This manuscript contains recipes for notable British drinks and dishes including ginger wine and Mother Eve's Pudding.

Ginger wine was first developed around 1740 by the Finsbury Distilling Company of London, England. Though the drink was already popular in retailers such as Joseph Stone's grocery in High Holborn, its popularity increased during the cholera epidemic of 1832 due to the belief that ginger wine could protect against the illness.

Mother Eve's Pudding is a 19th century verse or rhyming recipe for a boiled pudding, similar to the 18th century Duke of Cumberland pudding. Mother Eve's Pudding, like the Duke of Cumberland pudding, consists of an apple layer topped with a sponge layer. It differs from its 18th century predecessor in that it does not include suet or currants.

References:

Davidson, Alan. "Eve's Pudding." The Oxford Companion to Food, Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, p. 292.

"Heritage: Over 250 Years of History." Stone's Original, 1 Apr. 2019, stonesoriginal.com.au/heritage/.

This volume contains 22 culinary, medicinal, and household recipes created or compiled by C.M. Jones around 1805 in England. The majority of the recipes are for various wines, but there are also several recipes for culinary dishes, household goods, and cosmetics.

Inscription on the pastedown endpaper indicates that this recipe book was written and compiled by C.M. Jones. Watermarks in the paper (p. 29-41) date to 1805. The first portion of the manuscript (p. 1-15) contains 14 recipes, 9 of which are for various wines including four recipes for ginger wines. The second portion of the manuscript (p. 52-60) contains 8 recipes for household products and cosmetics, including rose pomade (p.53), "a cosmetic to produce a fair skin" (p. 59), and tobacco ointment (p. 60). There are 36 blank pages in the middle of the manuscript (p. 16-51), between which are several pressed leaves (p. 25, 27, 45, and 51).

The manuscript contains recipes attributed to individuals including Mrs. Briggs, Mrs. H. Powell of Hill, Eaton, and Mrs. E. Bishop.