Defining the culinary history of the Jewish American experience in the United States, The Settlement Cook Book has been a kitchen tradition since 1901...

{HISTORY}

There is something to be said about a cookbook that publishes its index in the very front of the book and then gets right down to the nitty-gritty details of cooking with no introduction or welcome message or story about the cookbook and how it came to be.  That's how you know seriousness is brewing. That's how you know that time is valued and that the information is important. There's no room for sales pitches or pleasantries or romancing potential book buyers with a story that might or might not persuade someone to buy such a book. You either need the info or you don't.

Such is the case with The Settlement Cook Book created by Mrs. Simon Kander (aka Elizabeth Black Kander 1858-1940). Born out of necessity,  Lizzie, as she was known in her Milwaukee, WI community, created this cookbook to help give immigrant families (mostly of Jewish descent) a proper start in America as they moved from Eastern Europe to Wisconsin. Lizzie, a college graduate and lifelong social activist taught cooking classes at a social service agency called The Settlement, helping Milwaukee's economically challenged  communities, mostly immigrants, gain valuable skills in the kitchen according to their new more modern American way of life. 

Containing traditional foods from their homeland (included for comfort) as well as foods popular in America during the turn of the 20th century (included for practicality and social acceptance), Lizzie's desire was to give all families a successful start in America from the inside out via good food, nutrition, information and sanitary kitchen care.

Part of Wisconsin's assimilation movement in the early 1900s, Lizzie first published The Settlement Cook Book in 1901, prompted by a fund-raising effort for the Settlement House. A runaway success, it was in continuous print for the next 90 years and became one of the few cookbook brands that accurately tells the story of Jewish American food evolution, eating habits, and appetite preferences over the course of the entire 20th century. Even after Lizzie passed away in 1940, this cookbook continued to make a valuable mark on the culinary landscape.

This edition, published in 1951, contains 624 pages, and covers all matter of the cooking process including nutrition, cooking tools, organization, suggested menus, equipment care, and discussion of tips and techniques as related to the American household. Selling millions of copies since its debut, chances are if you or your ancestors were of Jewish American heritage living during the 20th century, you were familiar with the beloved recipes found in the Settlement Cook Book. 

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

- 1951 Edition

 - Contains 624 pages

 - Includes very detailed index, information on how to clean and care for the kitchen, the dining room, the pantry and all items located in each as well as general household care, 

- Contains a host of interesting recipes including Sour Cream Kolatchen, Almond Pretzels, Iced Coffolate, Homemade Vinegar, Matzos Charlotte with Apples, Red Cabbage with Wine, Koenigsberger Klops, White Wine Soup, Eggs a la Tarcat, Apricot Nut Bread, Matzos Sponge Roll, Banana Cake, Potato Chocolate Torte, Cardamon Cookies and a host of fun cocktails.

{CONDITION}

In lovely vintage condition. There are some minor scuff marks on front and back cover and some light fading/cooking spots on the red foredge. The entire cookbook is intact but the front and back coverboards have started to separate slightly from the spine. The interior pages are clean and bright throughout. This book is free of markings, notations, and cooking stains. The exterior spine contains a strip of masking tape used as a safety precaution to keep the crease intact (a sign of an often reached-for cookbook). Please see photos. 

{SIZE}

Measures 5.5" inches (width) x 7.75" inches (length) x 1.5" inchs (thickness) and weighs 1.12 lbs