The Way to Someone’s Heart…

 Years before Danielle Morgan discovered Adelaide Phelps’ Recipes for Love cookbook in the box of books she bought at the swap meet, the first cookbook was born. How long before, you might ask? Can you believe the first recorded cookbook was written around 1700 BC on four clay tablets?

 By the 1300s, cookbooks were common in royal kitchens, and were considered a luxury. However, as mass printing became more prevalent and literacy increased between the 1500s and the 1700s, cookbooks became less of a luxury, but the types of recipes in each book differed greatly based on the audience. There were fancy cookbooks written for upper class households, and cookbooks written for lower class, working households, with titles like “The Poor Man’s Larder and Kitchen” or “Fifteen-Cent Dinners for Working-Men’s Families.” 

 Eventually, young wives would consider the latest cookbook a necessity in their kitchens, and cookbooks would not only contain recipes, but also tips for place settings, manners, and food storage. They were written for women to ensure they were able to provide the expected level of care for their husband and family.  The Betty Crocker Cookbook from 1950 stated, “Just as every carpenter must have certain tools for building a house, every woman should have the right tools for the fine art of cooking.”

 Cookbooks have clearly evolved, and now you can find cookbooks (written for anyone who wishes to utilize them) for pretty much any cuisine imaginable, by everyone from home cooks to celebrities (both trained chefs and those who simply felt they had good recipes to share with the general public). Will those cookbooks lead to true love? Maybe. Although I think only Adelaide’s cookbook can truly make that promise, I am guessing if you pick the right recipe, you might end up on the right track to winning someone’s heart.

 Looking for sweet recipes to serve to your love? Each cookbook in my Recipes for Love series has a recipe that is guaranteed to win over that special someone. So be sure to check out Recipe for Love series today!