Call Number:

Ms. Codex 2166

Repository:

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

Extent:

1 volume

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Cookbook, not before 1803, Ms. Codex 2166, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania

Date:

not before 1803

Form:

Cookbooks

Abstract:

This volume contains 65 culinary recipes and was likely created in England by unknown creators starting in 1803.

The creators of this volume are unknown.

In the volume is a recipe for candied horehound. Horehound, or Marribium vulgare, is an herb from the mint family native to Europe, North Africa, and Central Asia that is and was used in teas, candies, lozenges, and other herbal remedies for coughs and pulmonary ailments.

There is also a recipe for Sago pudding, a sweet pudding made of sago pearls. Sago is a starch extracted from sago palm and similar tropical palms, mostly in New Guinea and the Maluku Islands. Sago pudding was common in 18th and 19th century British cookbooks and was an ingredient "very much associated with Empire." (Buttery, 2023)

There is also a recipe for Gloucester jelly, attributed in this volume to Sir Richard Jebb. Sir Richard Jebb (1729-1787) was an English physician who attended the Duke of Gloucester and became a favorite of King George III. In 1780, he became the physician for the Prince of Wales and for King George III in 1786. It is unclear if Jebb is considered the creator of Gloucester jelly, but it appears to have become a common recipe by the 19th century, having been published in cookbooks such as Elizabeth Hammond's Modern Domestic Cookery.

One recipe is attributed to the "Transactions of the Society of Arts" which likely refers to Transactions of the Society, Instituted at London, for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, which was the title of the journal of the Royal Society of Arts from 1783 through 1843.

Sources:

Buttery, Neil. "Sago and Tapioca Pudding." British Food: A History, 23 Aug. 2023, britishfoodhistory.com/2023/08/21/sago-and-tapioca-pudding/.

"Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Jebb, Richard." Wikisource, the Free Online Library, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 27 Dec. 2020, en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1885-1900/Jebb,_Richard.

"Gloucester Jelly." Foods of England, www.foodsofengland.co.uk/gloucesterjelly.htm. Accessed 15 Feb. 2024.

"Horehound." Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., www.britannica.com/plant/horehound. Accessed 15 Feb. 2024.

Transactions of the Society, Instituted at London, for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, www.jstor.org/journal/transoclon. Accessed 15 Feb. 2024.

This volume contains 65 culinary recipes and was likely created in England by unknown creators starting in 1803. It is unclear when the creators completed this volume.

There are at least four hands present. Each contributed recipes intermittently throughout the volume. The date March 13, 1803 is written on the back pastedown and is partially covered by a library card slip added in the early or mid-20th century. The covers appear to be original, but later repairs were done to the binding of this volume.

Several of the recipes in this volume are attributed to various individuals, including Mrs. Barker (p. 9), Dr. Fenton (p. 10), Sir Richard Jebb (11), Mrs. Lampson (p. 12), and Dr. Hawkins (p. 12). One recipe is attributed to the Transactions of the Society of Arts (p. 16).

Examples of recipes in this volume include tea biscuits (p.1), gingerbread nuts (p. 2), candied horehound (p. 7), sago pudding (p. 11), Gloucester jelly (p. 11), lamb chops (p. 14), a method of preserving fruit without sugar for house or sea stores (p. 16), apple omelet (p. 19), black currant wine (p. 28), ginger beer (p. 29), and pancakes (p. 35).