During my time in class this semester I have learned about the power of internet podcasts. One, in particular, has really caught my attention called, Stuff You Missed in History Class. Listening to this podcast in my room as I am folding clothes I stumble upon an interesting interview. A woman by the name of Anne Byrn’s has written a book by the name of American Cookie. I don’t know if I was just hungry at the time or just the idea that a history podcast will be talking about cookie but something caught my attention.
The book is a mixture of a cookbook and a historical narrative. From the interview, anyone can see how much heart she has put not only in the research but in the recipes also. She speaks of having to decipher many of these recipes through trial and error due to many of them being lost in translation. It is easy to ignore or not even realize the importance of food culture is to the present and the past.
A great example she points out in her interview is women from New Orleans in the past century who could not make ends meet used food to survive. Lower class women would pass on recipes for candies, cookies, and brittles to their children. This is an important exchange because of the many upper-class women did not know how to make these goodies or were too nervous to even try. Working with candy was extremely difficult and dangerous even to this day. These lower-class women will sell these candies after church to the community in order to make the money needed to survive.
Ms. Byrn’s talks about the ingredients that go into every cookie and how they differ from region and state. For just being a cookie many would not think that there could be so many combinations. All the way down to different types of fats are used and how they can change through the generations that are being passed down by.
These are just some of the great aspects of this podcast and book. Bringing to light the interesting precedent food has on our past. Making me think of my own cultural sweets and how they may represent me and my past.
https://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts/interview-anne-byrns-american-cookie.htm
Great post Danielle and thank you for the podcast recommendation! I definitely agree that recipes and different foods are great representations of your culture and history. I am currently putting together a Hispanic Heritage book display at my library and this post has inspired me to search for some cookbooks to add to my display. I love pan dulce like conchas, empanadas, and puerquitos. It is really fun to share pan dulce with someone who may not have tried it before because it’s like sharing a little bit of your culture. What is your favorite cultural sweet?
Thank you for sharing Danielle, I know my grandmother passed on a recipe to my Mom and my Mom spent some time teaching me and now my daughter how to make special cookies so this resonates with me.
I have always wondered about the history of different pan dulce. I know the names of a few important kinds (my favorites) but always wish I knew the names and histories of each one so I have something fun to share when eating pan dulce with friends or family. My favorite is the maranito and yet I don’t know the history behind it.
Excellent write up on something that is often ignored in history classes. Common daily life is often ignored most due to time issues, however, it can offer real insight into how history unfolds. We often get blinded by hero worship that we forget about the people who worked hard to make things happen.
The topic of food can be interesting because you can easily recreate the historical experience. It takes little effort to follow a recipe right in your own kitchen. Plus food is the easiest way to experience other cultures in a personal way.
So good. Just in reading the title, it caught my attention. It was interesting for me cause the holidays are coming up and its around this time of the year when my girls and I bake. I actually went and found the book already to see if we (my girls and I) can incorporate any of these cookies into our holiday plans. Thanks so much!
Interesting share, Danielle. This makes me wonder what types of ingredients are specific to the San Antonio region, or my home town. I also think that much of this is a testamnet to human determination, and a woman’s determination to make ends meet for her family. Definitely piques my interest.
This post gets me so excited! I think food and history, especially local history, go hand in hand! I was thinking to do something similar to this for my capstone project, so Im glad I will have some examples to stem off of. Food tells the stories of hardship, like the history of tacos and burritos. They were created and made by lower-income families similar to also beans and rice, which I grew up on. My friend told me once, “Tacos were the poor man’s food and now everyone wants a bite”. There are so many stories of strong determined women that are missing from history because not many have considered looking in these spaces until recently! Thank you for sharing this!