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As early as the 17th
century, women have been sharing and recording recipes in book form.
But the books they made were not merely a compilation of recipes.
They were really a journal of a woman's domestic life. You
would sometimes find household and gardening advice, as well as formulas
for making medicines, as a place to save clippings on events taking
place in their neighborhood, a place to save letters from friends and
family, to record or even write poetry and quotations, and as a place
where children practiced their writing of letters. Some women kept
adding to their journals throughout their lives so these books became a
diary of their domestic development. As the years went by you
could see the progress of their cooking skills by the increasing
complexity of the recipes and their abilities to adapt the recipes to
their own tastes. Some women were so pleased with their accomplishments
that they published their personal recipe books.
A wonderful gift we can give
to our children and ourselves is to start recording our favorite family
recipes so they do not become lost or forgotten. I have contact
with so many people who want to locate a lost family recipe. Fond
memories of a favorite food from childhood so often surface as we grow
older and people want to make these foods a part of their lives again.
So take the time to write the recipes down, as well as the date and
where you found the recipe (from a friend, newspaper, Internet).
Make a note as to why it is special (did you have it at a friend's
party, or maybe it was a special cake recipe for a child's birthday
party). Record any changes you may have made to the recipe to make
it your own. Use your cookery scrapbook as a journal of your own
daily domestic life. As you come across quotes or passages that
strike a cord, write them down in your journal before they are
forgotten. Wouldn't it be fun to be able to look back over the
years gone by to see how you have evolved in your cooking skills and
your likes and dislikes?
I believe the writing of a
cooking journal with all its recipes, tips, quotes, letters, etc. should
be valued in the same way as a personal diary or gardening journal is
valued. (Source used: Eat My Words by Janet Theophano) |
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