Cooking with Jane Austen

by Kirstin Olsen

One of the greatest writers of all time, Jane Austen drew upon her domestic culture to color her works. Included in this book are more than 200 recipes for the many, many meals she alludes to throughout her writings. Recipes appear in modernized form, along with quotations from Austen's writings and excerpts from cookbooks of her era. Sure to entertain her numerous fans, the volume provides readers with recipes for such dishes as fried beef steaks, broiled mutton chops, roast pork loin, buttered crab or lobster, Stilton cheese, syrup of mulberries, almond pudding, French bread, mushroom ketchup, and many others.

The book begins with some introductory chapters on cooking and eating in Austen's world. It then presents chapters on broad categories of food, such as beef and veal, seafood, pastries and sweets, and beverages. Each chapter includes extracts from Austen's works and from cookbooks of her period, accompanied by easy-to-follow modernized recipes. The volume closes with some sample menus; glossaries of ingredients, sources, and special tools; and a bibliography of period cookbooks and modern studies.

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Food and Drink, Cooking, Food

432 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2005

Reviews

[False · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting read, as a "read," but I'm not one of those historical fiction readers who would feel compelled to try making the dishes. The author does give a few variations on the original recipes,sometimes English, sometimes French, sources. There is also a modernized version you can make. What "was" interesting to me were steps taken to alter tea, or butter, or cheese, as it aged and lost value. How first dippng teas went to the rich, the second dip their servants who could then add ash and twigs and pass down even beneath them to the impoverished. The importance of having your own dairy cattle, the heavy use of butter versus oils in cooking. Serving rabbit with it's thigh bones packing through the eye sockets...guess we won't be making that one...

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun cookbook to look at. Big draw back, no pictures, and no diagrams. Some of the instructions on methods are very confusing, (drawing chicken legs into the cavity?), and a picture or two would have been very helpful. (what pictures there are have nothing to do with the recipes.)

I can't say I found anything I wanted to try. I enjoyed it for the historical view point of food and how food was prepared, particularly how time consuming it could be. It give insight into diet, eating habits, and trends.

[Rebecca Huston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exploring the meals both mentioned in the novels, and the culinary customs of Regency England. Guess what hour tea was taken as a social event -- at night, to accompany conversation and cards. Wonderfully illustrated, good recipes and lots of trivia. A keeper.

[Leslie Hickman · Rating 3 out of 5]

there is a bunch of "textbook" information and then recipes of old and then transformed into modern day recipes.