# Country, Rustic, and Traditional Cookbooks



## schmoozer (Jan 10, 2010)

If you could choose one book each for country, classic traditional, or rustic style Italian, Spanish, French, and American cuisines, what would it be?  I'm looking for recipes and techniques that grandmothers may have made.

Thanks,


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## homemadecook (Jan 27, 2010)

Ask for me i should prefer classic tradition book . Since that is you grandma days.


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

To meet your need for foods grannie cooked, there are two I'd particularly recommend.

The first is _The Settlement House Cookbook. _The Settlement House existed, way back when, to help waves of immigrant women assimilate. The cookbook was part of that process, and taught thousands of them how to cook using American ingredients and methods. As such, it is, perhaps, the quintessential American cookbook.

Second, and as an interesting complement to, and counterpoint, is Molly O'Neil's _New York Cookbook. _This is a rather unique approach, in which the immigrant recipes are themselves presented---sometimes by the emmigrant him/herself, sometimes by their children or grandchildren, sometimes by restauranteurs who are trying to maintain the old-world foodways. As such, it represents the culinary melting pot that is New York, in particular, and America in general.

After that we get into the country-specific titles you asked for. The list of them goes on and on, and I'll leave it to others to state their opinions. I would suggest, however, that you explore Hippocrene Books' list, as they specialize in ethnic cookbooks written by people who are both cooks and natives of the countries involved, with an emphasis on home cooking.


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## gunnar (Apr 3, 2008)

The Fannie Farmer cookbook is an All-American (in an older, grander sense of the term) classic since 1896, course it was actually published as the Boston Cooking School Cook Book. I once had a scaled down pocket version but my ex-girlfriend stole it and haven't been able to track down the edition since.


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## francie12 (Nov 28, 2009)

Jewish Cooking in America, (Knopf) has a little of all you mentioned.


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

Schmoozer,

You ask some very good questions.

BDL


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## missyjean (Nov 5, 2009)

Mama Leone's Italian Cookbook (1964) and the revised Leone's will make everyone think you are Italian /img/vbsmilies/smilies/thumb.gif


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