Culinary and medicinal recipe book of Mary Smith [manuscript] : autograph manuscript, circa 1662.
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Cover-to-cover images of Folger Shakespeare Library V.a.682
Details
Title
Culinary and medicinal recipe book of Mary Smith [manuscript] : autograph manuscript, circa 1662.
Variant title
Dealer's title: English 17th century culinary manuscript
Produced
England?, circa 1662.
Description
1 volume (149 leaves) ; 20 x 16 cm
Associated name
Smith, Mary, active 17th century, former owner, signer.
Summary
Mary Smith wrote in this volume from both directions ("tête bêche"): text is written front to back and, with volume inverted, written from back to front (leaves 79v-149v). Contains 14 recipes for preserves and sweets, including "to dry Apricocks" (leaf 2r), "to make past of Oringes" (leaf 6r), and "to make Marmalet of quinces" (leaf 9r) at the beginning of the volume, medicinal recipes such as "cowslip brandy very good for the griping of guts" (leaf 5r) and "A very good plaister to any bruise or sprain for any weakness in the back to prevent miscarring" (leaf 79v), and 15 recipes for savories, including "to make minsed pies of veale" (leaf 148v), "to make white puddings to fill hoggs gutts" (leaf 143v), and "to dry a Leg of pork" (leaf 138v) at the end of the volume. A recipe "for white puddings" dated 1708 is on a loose piece of paper and pinned to leaf 144r. Attributions are minimal, but Smith has made notes such as "tryed" (leaf 139v) and "elizeabeths way" (leaf 138v). Leaf 136v contains an entry that appears to be a cipher.
Note
Title devised by Folger cataloger.
Place of production presumed from language of text and handwriting style; dated "1662."
Foliated every fifth leaf by Folger cataloger 2019. At time of cataloging, leaves 95 and 126 existed only as remnants in the inner margin and are numbered on those remnants.
Inscribed on the front endleaf "Mary Smith / her book / 1662" and the initials "MS" appear on the inside front pastedown.
Place of production presumed from language of text and handwriting style; dated "1662."
Foliated every fifth leaf by Folger cataloger 2019. At time of cataloging, leaves 95 and 126 existed only as remnants in the inner margin and are numbered on those remnants.
Inscribed on the front endleaf "Mary Smith / her book / 1662" and the initials "MS" appear on the inside front pastedown.
Binding information
From dealer's description: "Contemporary blind-ruled sprinkled calf."
Provenance
Owned by Mary Smith. Acquired from Dean Byass (Armory Athenaeum cat.7548), 2018-02-22.
Linked resources
Cover-to-cover images of Folger Shakespeare Library V.a.682
Manuscript Cookbooks Survey description of Folger Shakespeare Library V.a.682
Manuscript Cookbooks Survey description of Folger Shakespeare Library V.a.682
Place of creation/publication
Great Britain -- England, -- production place.
Item Details
Call number
V.a.682
Folger accession
270153