Online: America's First Cookbook

Historian John Cilio will share a story of our young country and the author who created a culinary time capsule. We will explore the rich tapestry of early American cuisine - a melding of European traditions, Native American ingredients and innovative cooking techniques. More specifically, it contains the first known printed recipes with the substitution of American maize (cornmeal) for English oats in otherwise English recipes. The recipe for Johnny Cake is believed to be the first printed version made with cornmeal. It also contains the first known printed recipe for turkey (which is native to North and Central America) with cranberries. Self-published in 1796, American Cookery is considered a culinary milestone in American history and stands as the nation's first-ever cookbook, penned by the enigmatic orphan, Amelia Simmons.

It is not only a first in cookbook literature, but an historic document, revealing the variety of food Colonial Americans enjoyed, their tastes, cooking and eating habits, even their colorful language. Author Amelia Simmons worked as a domestic in Colonial America and gathered her cookery expertise from first-hand experience.

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