Course:LIBR548F/2010WT1/Canadian Cookbooks

Why Study Cookbooks?

Although cookbooks have not been studied extensively by Canadian historians, cookbooks are both culturally and historically significant and are deserving of further study. This wiki entry will provide a concise history of the cookbook in Canada, both pre- and post-Confederation. Unlike other genres of books, such as novels, cookbooks were unique in that some form of this medium was utilized by most Canadian families. While many early immigrants to Canada brought their home cuisines and recipes to their new country, Canadian citizens would begin writing and publishing unique cookbooks as early as the 1830s.

Canadian Cookbook Historians

Canada’s premiere recipe and cookbook historian is Elizabeth Driver, who was written multiple articles on the subject. Driver’s seminal work, though, is a large tome entitled Culinary Landmarks: A Bibliography of Canadian Cookbooks, 1825-1949 [1]. More than 1200 pages, Driver’s work provides comprehensive bibliographies of nearly 2800 cookbooks published in Canada Taking more than ten years to write, Driver’s bibliography has been praised by historians and the popular press alike [2] Citing a lack of information about culinary and cookbook history as the impetus for her book, Driver has this to say about being a cookbook historian: “I think [I’m interested in cookbook history] because Canadian cookbooks are grassroots expressions of who we are. There is no more intimate unit than the family, and cookbooks take you right into the home” . While other cookbook scholars may feel the same way, Driver takes a unique approach to her research. In her article “Cookbooks as Primary Sources for Writing History,” Driver notes that if “a novel is measured by how it stimulates the intellect or imagination, then a cookbook is fully understood only when the recipes are executed, the food consumed, and the outcome analyzed using all one’s senses”.

While Elizabeth Driver is an influential Canadian cookbook historian, she is not the only one. In 2004 – 2005, Carol Martin was the curator of an exhibit entitled “Bon appétit! A Celebration of Canadian Cookbooks,” which was hosted by Library and Archives Canada [3]. The notes that Martin has compiled and contributed to the Collections Canada website provide a plethora of information about Canada’s early cookbooks. Martin declares that French Canada’s first cookbook was published in 1840. The cookbook is titled La cuisiniere canadienne, contenant tout ce qu’il est necessaire de savoir dans un ménage, pour preparer les diverses, and was published in Montreal by L. Perrault. Martin notes that this collection was “intended for both professionals and the general public [and that it] marked the beginning of French-Canadian cooking as a distinct cuisine” .

English Language Cookbooks

More difficult to pinpoint is which English-language cookbook was Canada’s first: The Cook Not Mad; or Rational Cookery, written in 1831 and published by James Macfarlane, or The Female Emigrant’s Guide, and Hints on Canadian Housekeeping, written and published by Catherine Parr Traill in 1854. Although the former cookbook was published in Canada, it was a near exact replication of an American cookbook, right down to the recipe titles: those who purchased this book could make a variety of “Republic dishes,” such as “Washington Cake and Jackson Jumbles” .

American & Corporate Cookbooks

The Canadian cookbook market has long been overshadowed by the American market, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the number of cookbooks published as marketing tools by corporations. This practice was most common in the United States, and these cookbooks quickly crossed the border and became a staple in Canadian homes. Companies frequently put a coupon on their product (for example, Robin Hood or Five Roses flour) that customers could use to redeem for a free cookbook. When customers had used all of their Robin Hood flour, they would cut the coupon off and mail this to the company. The customer would then wait to receive the cookbook in return. These cookbooks featured recipes that relied heavily on the product that the company sold, and promoted brand loyalty in a rather forceful, heavy-handed manner. Few Canadian companies chose to advertise themselves this way, simply because they had smaller marketing budgets than their American counterparts. Thus, most corporate cookbooks were written and published in America, although their titles may have been changed for their Canadian audiences. .

Community Cookbooks

A much more authentically Canadian genre is that of community cookbook. Serving many different purposes, community cookbooks were compiled by members of various communities. Churches, schools, and neighbourhoods chose to collect the favourite recipes of the individuals and families belonging to that specific group. These recipes were then organized, bound, and published. In the 19th and 20th centuries, publication was seldom elaborate and could involve a simple twine binding or something more fanciful, such as an official looking cover and spine. Community cookbooks served many purposes, including fundraising: Members of a unique community submitted recipes to a common cookbook and then had the book professionally printed and bound, to be sold to raise funds for one reason or another. Community cookbooks were also used to entertain or to simply bring a community closer. .

Annotated Bibliography

Driver, Elizabeth. Culinary Landmarks: A Bibliography of Canadian Cookbooks, 1825-1949. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008.

Driver’s Culinary Landmarks is the seminal history of cookbooks in Canada. From pre-Confederation to the postwar period, Driver methodically examines more than 2000 Canadian cookbooks found in libraries and archives, family homes, grocery stores, and more. An easy to use bibliography, a nicely arranged chronology, and multiple indexes help to make this the definitive text in its field.

Williamson, Mary F. “Recipe and Household Literature.” In History of the Book in Canada, 275-7. Vol.1, Beginnings to 1840. Edited by Patricia Lockhart Fleming, Gilles Gallichan, and Yvan Lamonde. Vol. 1. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2004.

In this short encyclopaedia entry, Williamson writes concisely about the importance of recipes brought to the New World with immigrants, not only for their cookery use but for the sentiment brought with them. Additionally, Williamson notes that many personal recipe collections were edited and adapted quickly to suit foods not previously known to immigrants to Canada, including “corn, pumpkin, and maple syrup.”

Skye, Berta. “Traditional Cree and Iroqouis Food.” In Northern Bounty: A Celebration of Canadian Cuisine, edited by Jo Marie Powers and Anita Stewart, 113-120. Toronto: Random House, 1995.

Because it’s a rather large subject that begs more than a subsection of this entry, I have purposefully left out Aboriginal recipes and cookbooks. Skye’s portion of Northern Bounty provides an excellent overview about all aspects of food, including printed recipes, as related to the Cree and Iroqouis groups.