About this book
American Cookery by Amelia Simmons arrives as a kitchen milestone — the first known American-authored cookbook, published in 1796, that helped define an emerging national cuisine.
Part practical manual, part cultural document, this non-fiction cookery classic collects recipes and household advice adapted to ingredients and needs unique to early America. Simmons moves beyond British precedents, offering guidance for dressing viands, fish, poultry and vegetables and for making pies, puddings, custards, preserves and cakes suited to American staples such as cornmeal, molasses and native game. Written for women across social ranks — from ladies of fashion to those forging livelihoods in domestic service — the book reveals 18th-century domestic routines, resourcefulness, and the beginnings of a distinctly American food identity. Its plain, instructional tone doubles as a window into post-Revolutionary life and the practical skills valued in households of the era.
Ideal for culinary historians, home cooks curious about the origins of American dishes, and fans of food history or practical historical instruction, this audiobook offers a flavorful journey into the roots of American cooking and the everyday knowledge that shaped a nation’s table.
