Historical Menus? ...And Not The Paper Type

[jtrz]

Hi all!

New to CHOW here. So far, I really like it!

I might not have the term correct here, but I was wondering if anyone knows of sources (books, websites, organizations, etc) for what I'm calling "historical menus."

I don't mean a collection of paper menus from times past. But I mean menus that we know were cooked a long time ago. For example, what was a multi-course meal like that would have been served on the Titanic? Or what was the menu served at George Washington's inaugural dinner? What would be considered an "elegant" meal that was served in the South around the time of the Civil War? Revolutionary War? I'm looking for sources for these types of menus. I'm kind of interested in the cooking methods but not to recreate the methods. Only the menus. I'm more interested in the foods.

Also along those same lines, are there any restaurants (or chefs or organizations) in the US that are known for this OR do this every once in a while?

Thanks!

John

[James Cristinian]

I have some railroad menus dating to the fortys. I got them at a train show, but I'm sure a Google search under railroad menus will turn up sites to purchase them.

[just_M]

The Historical American Coobook Project will be able to give you at least some of what your looking for. http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/index.html

Edit: Wow; googled "historic menus" and found so many interesting links including this one on Chow - http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/546737

This will be so fun to research. Thanks for the idea.

Hope this helps. M

[ttoommyy]

This may be of interest to you. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apicius

And here's a thread on CH that deals with the above subject. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/683396

[Karl S]

Google culinary anthropology.

[milkyway4679]

Many used bookstores have old cookbooks. People drop them off without realizing the value, and the used bookstore owners typically don't either. I have some cookbooks that are on French techniques from many years ago, back when cooking a meal took all day. I think that may be an interesting place to try.

[iluvcookies]

I find this site to be quite helpful and interesting

http://www.foodtimeline.org/

[megmosa]

I love this website. For menus, follow this link and pick your decade: http://www.foodtimeline.org/fooddecad...

[LauraGrace]

I received a plain paperback edition of Martha Washington's family cookbook for Christmas a couple years back, and found it fascinating. Not just recipes, but whole menu plans, for everything from a simple family supper to a state dinner. Can't say that I've made anything from it, but it sure is interesting as a historical curiosity. The author/compiler, Marie Kimball, also published something called "Thomas Jefferson's Cookbook," though I assume Mr. Jefferson himself didn't do much of the cooking at Monticello.

I also happen to own and love the Little House Cookbook, which gives researched and historically accurate recipes for nearly all the foods mentioned in the Little House series. I can vouch for those recipes, for sure -- it was a much-beloved and well-used cookbook when I was growing up!

[James Cristinian]

The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American by Jeff Smith has recepies from the Indians of the NW, SW, and plains to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, the colonists, Pennsylvania Dutch, plus regional recipies from around the country. I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to find a copy.

[HillJ]

http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/tracer-...
Library of Congress resource