Constructing Culinary Knowledge

Abstract

The late nineteenth and early twentieth century was a period rife with social change for both the domains of food production and consumption, with significant consequences for how we know food today. Yet the ways in which culinary knowledge became standardized beyond cooking schools and commercial cookbooks remains largely undisclosed, particularly in rural households. Much of the existing cookbook literature relies on cookbooks that originate from urban locations. To explore how knowledge about food at the household and community level changed during this time, this article examines rural community cookbooks published in the Upper Peninsula, Michigan between 1893 and 1956. The findings suggest that contributors embraced the changing food landscape, as reflected in their enthusiastic adoption of processed products, but their culinary knowledge may have differed from that of their urban counterparts due to a lack of access to markets or affordable ingredients combined with continued reliance on local food environments.

Keywords:

• cookbooks
• rural
• culinary knowledge
• standards
• Upper Peninsula
• Michigan

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Elizabeth Ransom

Elizabeth Ransom is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Richmond. Her research interests are in the areas of international development and globalization, the sociology of agriculture and food, and social studies of science and technology. Department of Sociology & Anthropology, University of Richmond, 28 Westhampton Way, Richmond, VA 23173, USA ([email protected]).

Wynne Wright

Wynne Wright is Associate Professor of the Departments of Community Sustainability and Sociology at Michigan State University. Her research focuses on the socio-cultural dimensions of agrifood system restructuring. She is the co-editor of The Fight Over Food: Producers, Consumers, and Activists Challenge the Global Food System. Department of Community Sustainability, Michigan State University, 330B Natural Resources, 480 Wilson Rd., East Lansing, MI 48824, USA ([email protected]).