Former inhabitant of Marietta, Ella Ruth Tennent, composed articles on housekeeping for several publications and ultimately created her own subscription-based magazine in the 1800s.

In the posthumously released “House-Keeping in the Sunny South,” Tennent shares nearly 800 culinary recipes, over 70 mixtures for household compounds or remedies, and eight essays on overseeing various areas of the home. This 1885 edition is more than merely a cookbook; it sheds light on domestic life in Marietta and broader Georgia.

The intricate details of this volume narrate a broader narrative. The preface mentions that the recipes are affordable to “address the pressures of the era,” alluding to the South’s ongoing recovery from an economic downturn.

Furthermore, the cookbook presents a transforming South, interspersed with recipes from hotels and eateries, testimonials from contributors nationwide, and demands for newly accessible commercial ingredients as well as exotic ones that necessitated international shipping networks. The inclusion of chilled dishes in this collection also indicates the availability of budget-friendly year-round kitchen ice.

Nevertheless, this stands as a culinary resource from a time and place on the verge of change. For instance, it features directions for extracting “jelly” from a calf’s foot alongside gelatin recipes reliant on store-bought thickeners. While “House-Keeping in the Sunny South” was aimed at Georgia’s swiftly evolving kitchens, there is much for contemporary readers to explore (and savor) from these pages.

The post Guide and cookbook offers a glimpse into domestic life from the 1800s first appeared on UGA Today.