lost & found cookbooks

Concha's Mexican Kitchen Cook Book

"CONCHA'S MEXICAN KITCHEN COOK BOOK"
1946

Authentic Mexican cookbooks with traditional recipes are difficult to find and this is a special treasure, written in a conversational style with in-depth explanations of customs and recipes for Mexican and Aztec dishes.  Written by an American woman who lived in Mexico for over thirty years, it captures authentic Mexican recipes from the days of the Revolution.

Aztec dishes like the Netzahual Salad are particularly intriquing, pairing foods and spices in creative ways. This dish combines applesauce, cloves and Roquefort cheese along with eggs and vinegar, lettuce and oranges.

There is one entire chapter devoted to fish and includes recipes in the Xolotl, Yucatan and Michoacan styles. The [Pescado de Allende] is a perfect spring dish, stuffed with asparagus and capers. See the recipe posted [here].

There is a large section that presents menus and recipes along with a description of the customs and traditions of weddings, baptisms, Christmas, New Year, Lent, Easter and birthdays.

[buy it at OldCookbooks.com]

[more old Mexican cookbooks]

 

Art Deco Cookery

"BALANCED RECIPES"
Pillsbury, 1933

I am often asked about the best way to start and maintain a collection of cookbooks and my advice is always the same; pick a subject or genre and stick to it. In the long run, your collection will be more interesting and more valuable. I chose this aluminum-bound, binder style cookbook from Pillsbury as a good example that would fit into three possible areas of collecting.
1) Art Deco Era: Cookbooks that were designed with a streamline modern aesthetic would make both an appealing display and a valuable collection. Look for  distinctive use of typography and the aesthetics of industrial materials like metal. The Pillsbury cookbook shown left is a prime example, with streamline deco styling and an actual aluminum box binding. Another example is the [New Delineator Cook Book, 1929] which was printed with several covers, but the one with a stylized metal-like cover is most desirable. Another undiscovered treasure, is this [Fit for a King]; designed by Merle Armitage with photos by art deco master Edward Weston and illustrations by renowned artist Elise Armitage.
2) I think one overlooked area of cookbook collecting is specialty binding. There are cookbooks that are bound with every conceivable material including metal, wood, linoleum, rope, & ornate leather. While this would be a challenging specialty, it would make for a very unusual collection. Here's an example of a highly collected version of a [Sunset Barbecue Cookbook] with a wooden cover.
3) [Pillsbury Cookbooks]  Pillsbury was a prolific generator of cookbooks beginning around 1900. The recipes are still appealing and the historical look at food marketing and women in history add a rich layer of interest to the collection.

Be creative and pick an area that interests you. You might decide to collect cookbooks only from your region, only by churches or the Eastern Star, only with red covers, or only by appliance companies, or just cookbooks about cakes! Specialize and your collection will be more personal and ultimately more valuable.

[buy the art deco "Balanced Recipes" at OldCookbooks.com]