The Suffragette Cookbook ~ Professor Kate Williams

 

The Suffragette Cookbook is a cookbook in recognition of the Suffragette movement and a celebration of female innovation, power and love. With a history of feminism, female strength along with male solidarity being told alongside recipes, quotes, charming pocket-sized portrait photos and letters and correspondence gives insight to a time when there was much less consideration towards women and women's rights and the struggles for equality, not only with voting but in their everyday life. This cookbook gives us and educational and thought provoking glimpse, sprinkled with a serious lightheartedness that is indicative of the feminine spirit inside and outside the home and kitchen.  

There are traditional American culinary recipes, whether they be classified as retro or vintage, household management and cook's tips given for the respective time period. With seventeen recipe categories, ranging from soups, meats, savouries, sandwiches, dessert and candies, it is fair to say that most recipes featured in this book are legacy recipes, past down from grandmother to mother to child, generation to generation and quite possibly many of these recipes are still made today. Although there are a few recipes that do come off a bit incoherent making it highly unlikely that those were even made or served at all. 

If you are interested in collecting retro or vintage recipes or wanting a condensed history on a portion of the Suffragette movement this is a great cookbook to inspire and feel connected to those historic women... and men who stood along side them. For myself I feel compelled to look up the various women mentioned in this book to learn more about them and their contribution not only to the Suffragette movement but possible other causes as well. 

The recipe I am sharing, from the book, is a light one. May it grace your salad this season.     

Suffragette Salad Dressing

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yolks of 2 eggs

3 tablespoons of sugar

2 tablespoons of tarragon

vinegar

1 pinch of salt

Beat well; cook in double boiler. When cold and ready to serve, fold in 1/2 pint of whipped cream.