Amelia Simmons

The first cookbook written by an American for Americans appeared in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1796 and was entitled quite simply American Cookery. It was a modest little volume of some 130 recipes, making none of the extravagant claims to erudition that were customary in Europe, but seeking rather “the improvement of the rising generation of females in America.” The book reads like a personal collection of time-honored recipes which had finally made its way into print after passing from hand to hand for several decades. More an aide-memoire for an experienced cook than a manual of instruction for the novice, American Cookery skates over everyday techniques to concentrate instead on party dishes like turtle or calf’s head, rich cream desserts, and huge fruit cakes. About the author nothing is known except her name, Amelia Simmons, and her disclosure that she was brought up as an orphan.