{"product_id":"9781449446567","title":"The Virginia Housewife (PagePerfect NOOK Book): Or, Methodical Cook","description":"Although Amelia Simmons’s \u003ci\u003eAmerican Cookery\u003c\/i\u003e claims the title, Mrs. Mary Randolph’s \u003ci\u003eThe Virginia Housewife\u003c\/i\u003e is often cited as the first American cookbook because the recipes originated in American kitchens, having left behind British traditions, ingredients, and methods. \u003ci\u003eVirginia Housewife\u003c\/i\u003e is also recognized as the nation’s first regional cookbook with a focus on southern-style specialties, some appearing in print for the first time (Ochra Soup, Curry of Catfish, Gumbo, Chicken Pudding, Apoquiniminc Cakes). But Randolph also includes local variations of recipes from the West Indies, New England, Spain, and France, all reflecting the influence of many cuisines on Southern cooking. Diverse offerings from far-away places include Dough Nuts, Gaspacho, Ropa Vieja, as well as a number of delightful ice cream recipes including, black walnut, quince, pear, citron, and almond. An immediate success, \u003ci\u003eVirginia Housewife\u003c\/i\u003e was republished at least nineteen times before the Civil War.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e For Mrs. Mary, “The grand Arcanum of management lies in three simple rules: Let everything be done at a proper time, keep everything in its proper place, and put everything to its proper use.” To this end, much more than just a cookbook, \u003ci\u003eThe Virginia Housewife\u003c\/i\u003e is a complete lifestyle reference providing an introduction to the food, culture, and manners of the antebellum South, as well as housekeeping instructions on topics ranging from soap making to herb drying and silver cleaning—everything that a woman of the nineteenth (or the twenty-first) century might desire to know.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This facsimile edition of Mary Randolph’s \u003ci\u003eVirginia Housewife \u003c\/i\u003ewas reproduced by permission from the volume in the collection of the American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Massachusetts. Founded in 1812 by Isaiah Thomas, a Revolutionary War patriot and successful printer and publisher, the Society is a research library documenting the life of Americans from the colonial era through 1876. The Society collects, preserves, and makes available as complete a record as possible of the printed materials from the early American experience. The cookbook collection includes approximately 1,100 volumes.","brand":"Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47155418988784,"sku":"9781449446567","price":4.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781449446567_p0.jpg?v=1763839752","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781449446567","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}