Modern Cookery for Private Families by Eliza Acton

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  • robm on February 15, 2013

    Anyone interested in the history of cooking will be fascinated by Acton's book -- it's a comprehensive and broad-ranging look at the food and customs of the mid-Victorians. Downton Abbey fans should love it -- this is the kind of food that was being eaten at the Abbey in the middle 1800s!

  • robm on February 15, 2013

    This is a reprint of Eliza Acton's "Modern Cookery," perhaps the first genuinely modern cookbook in the English language. One can still cook from Acton today because she includes all the ingredients needed with the amounts/measurements required and explicit instructions . It appeared around 1845 and contains the classics of English cookery, although Acton also included French, German and even some Indian and Jewish recipes. It's interesting that the recipes are well spiced, including a liberal use of cayenne pepper. I would guess that a taste for well-seasoned food developed after thousands of Britons returned home from India and the West Indian colonies where they acquired a taste for piquant flavors. Of course, there was also a heritage of highly-spiced food descending from the middle ages, when spices were used liberally to disguise often questionable foods! The general British aversion to sharp spices seems to be a more modern development.

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  • ISBN 10 1844009599
  • ISBN 13 9781844009596
  • Linked ISBNs
  • Published Apr 01 2011
  • Format Hardcover
  • Page Count 640
  • Language English
  • Countries United Kingdom
  • Publisher Quadrille Publishing
  • Imprint Quadrille Publishing Ltd

Publishers Text

This important new series rediscovers the original heroes of cookery. Reissuing texts that for decades have been available only to collectors of old books, each title has been redesigned giving the original text an updated yet timeless look for today's reader. These classic voices convey the flavour of their times and yet are astonishingly relevant to the modern reader. With two more titles to follow in September, this series will establish itself as an exciting new source of reference and inspiration for all food lovers. First published in 1845, Eliza Acton's book was a precursor of Mrs Beeton, and is considered by many to be the better book. This lost masterpiece sets out the principles of modern domestic cookery and its 34 chapters offer a wealth of timeless recipes for every conceivable food and occasion. With instructions on basic techniques ranging from frying fish to roasting meat and poultry and simple recipes such as Cucumber Soup, Spiced Beef, Venetian Fritters and Compote of Peaches, this book is packed with wisdom, experience, common sense and delights!

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