English recipe book : manuscript.

Format:

Book

Manuscript

Contributor:

Cock, F. William, former owner.

Blank, Fritz, donor.

Chef Fritz Blank Culinary Archive and Library (University of Pennsylvania)

Culinary Collection (University of Pennsylvania)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Cooking, English--Early works to 1800.

Cooking, English.

Medicine--Formulae, receipts, prescriptions--Early works to 1800.

Medicine.

Women--Health and hygiene.

Women.

Genre:

codices (bound manuscripts)

Cookbooks.

Recipes.

Manuscripts, English -- 18th century.

Penn Provenance:

Formerly owned by Frederick William Cock (Appledore, Kent, England, 1858-1943).

Gift of Chef Fritz Blank, 2008.

Physical Description:

1 volume (170 pages) ; 32 x 20 cm

Production:

England, 1733.

Summary:

This cookbook contains 145 culinary and medicinal recipes written and compiled by an unknown individual in England, possibly in Kent, in 1733. The volume is bound in original vellum with some damage to the binding. The folio size paper has watermarks of the name I. Gaudin and the Amsterdam coat of arms. The recipes are organized into four sections, Surgery and Physick (p. 1-25), Cordial Waters (p. 41-49), Sweet Meats (p. 77-92), and an untitled section with additional remedies (p. 97-101). Each section is followed by a run of blank pages (p. 26-40, 50-76, 102-169). The front pastedown includes the bookplates of two former owners: F. William Cock, M.D., 1898, Appledore, Kent and Chef Fritz Blank. Surgery and Physick has 78 recipes for a variety of ailments, though there are a considerable number of recipes related to pregnancy and childbirth. Examples of recipes in this section include Lady Harrington’s receipt for ye stones (p. 2), for ye rickets in children (p. 11), for a woman in danger of miscarrying (p. 12), Lady Acton’s eye water (p. 18), Dr. Kenelm Digby’s receipt for a fistula for a cancer in ye breast (p. 20), Dr. Goddard’s glister for ye stone (p. 24), a receipt for a woman in travail wth a dead child prob (p. 24), Lady Frances Coventry’s receipt for quickening labour (p. 25), and to expel ye afterbirth (p. 25). Cordial waters contains 27 recipes, examples of which include surfeit water (p. 43), aqua miribilis (p. 45), and Dr. Lower’s cordial tincture (p. 49). Sweet meats contains 27 recipes, examples of which include march pane (p. 77), Wood Street cake (p. 78), Lady Middleton’s orange cakes (p. 80), mace cakes (p. 84), to mack Madam Bromly’s seed cakes (p. 87), and to mack my cousins Littleston’s bunns (p. 89). The last page (p. 170) and back pastedown include a series of prescriptions titled “May 1733 what Doct Heels order’d My Lord.” It is unclear what he was being treated for.

Notes:

Collation: Paper, 85 leaves; 1¹²ˉ¹(-2), 2⁴ˉ¹(-1), 3¹⁴, 4¹⁸ˉ²(-4, -5), 5¹²ˉ¹(-4), 6¹⁸, 7¹⁴ˉ¹(14 is pastedown); pagination in pencil, lower outer corners, 1-170.

Cited as:

English Recipe Book (Oversize Ms. Codex 2389). Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania.

OCLC:

1600897593