Archive Showcase: American Cookery
Taking a closer look at a special, lesser known wartime-era magazine publication
In the course of research for my podcast I run across all sorts of interesting things from WWII: photographs, online content, newspaper headlines, postcards, magazine articles, books… the list goes on and on. I love sharing this stuff, but I don’t always get the chance due to time constraints or the lack of brain power, really. There’s literally just so much stuff out there, it’s overwhelming.
Rarely, though, do I come across a totally new magazine title that completely blows my mind. What’s crazy is that in recent months I’ve found three magazines that have done just that, but today I’m focusing on what I feel is the most important one for my scope of study. And that is the American Cookery Magazine.
From what I’ve been able to gather, this magazine was first published by the Boston Cooking School in 1914 and ran until 1946. Most women’s magazines of the time usually have one or two food sections in them, but this magazine is different. American Cookery is ALL about food. As its title suggests.
I gathered the issues that I could find from wartime since my main topic of study is American wartime food rationing. These magazines are such a treasure trove! I’m not sure what the pre-war magazines were like, but I’ve noticed a pattern with these wartime editions. And since this magazine is so unlike any other women’s magazine from the time, I thought it would be worth highlighting the unique sections that stood out to me.
“Cookery’s Food Flashes” - so much more detail, so much more inclusive and internationally diverse than in McCall’s
“Good Cooks Read Books” book reviews and lists of helpful food-related books
The Recipes. So, so many recipes!
Everything is about food - every story, article, and advertisement!
1. Cookery’s Food Flashes
This section features food-related wartime news tidbits from all over the place - homefront, farming, government, the army, and even international news. They didn’t have this section early in the war, but as more things starting impacting food, I imagine they felt creating this new section was a necessity!
In the April 1943 issue they had headlines including “Notes on Point Budgeting”, “Rationing in England”, “Can All You Can!”, “Rising Prices”, “More About Variety Meats”, “The Help You Whip Light Cream”, “Take a Tip from Germany”, and “Food is a Weapon.”
2. Good Cooks Read Books
I love this section! This is where to find the most interesting selection of reviewed books. They seem to be mostly related to homefront living and, depending on the issue, includes cookbook recommendations! Take a look at the ad at the top left of the page. I own that book! It’s the companion recipe book to the humorous Mrs. Appleyard’s Year.
For a cookbook collector, like myself, I find things like this super helpful. Half the time the cookbooks I hunt down come through spotting the title while doing research on something else. Having wartime-era recommendations in its own handy little section is so nice!
The real star, though, is the section “Booklets to Help with Your Food Problems.” This is a handy, detailed list at the back of the issues with recommendations for booklets on all sorts of food topics and organized by type: Menus and Recipes, Nutrition for Victory, Teaching Helps, Canning, Feeding Your Youngsters, and Sugar Savers. Each issue seems to focus on a different set of “food problems”. I found Cape Cod’s Famous Cranberry Recipes, which I happen to own, in the back of the November 1942 issue. It’s always fun finding original mentions or images of cookbooks in my collection!
3. So. Many. Recipes. And menus too!
What’s a wartime women’s magazine without recipes or menus? Of course, this magazine features all kinds of recipes and menus. It’s just a wealth of wartime rationing at its finest! Flipping through the different issues, I’ve also found special articles about a personal story with recipes included. A fun one I found was about Girl Scouts camping with their campfire recipes!
Everything is about food - every story, article, and advertisement!
In the November 1942 issue they feature articles like “Food Favorites of Paul Revere’s Day are Still Favorites in 1942”, “Eleanor Early Reports on Dehydrated Food”, “Quilting Bee Supper”, “Baked Ambrosia: A Delicious Dish of Smelts Done in Down East Style”, “Children Can Eat Pork”, “Army Has Mechanized Potato Peeler" and “That Strip Tease Vegetable” all about artichokes!
Many of the ads are for cookbooks or food products. Even the little comics are food related. This magazine is truly a celebration of all things food!
For those who study foodways, love exploring historical recipes or enjoy learning about the history, American Cookery is an amazing resource!
Resources
The Online Books Page: American Cookery
American Cookery Magazine: June-July 1942, August-September 1942, November 1942, February 1943, September 1943, January 1944