Austin's First Cookbook: Our Home Recipes, Remedies and Rules of Thumb

Tacos and barbecue command appetites today, but early Austinites indulged in peppered mangoes, roast partridge and cucumber catsup. Those are just a few of the fascinating historic recipes in this new edition of the first cookbook published in the city. Written by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in 1891, Our Home Cookbook aimed to "cause frowns to dispel and dimple into ripples of laughter" with myriad "receipts" from the early Austin community. From dandy pudding to home remedies "worth knowing," these are hearty helpings featuring local game and diverse heritage, including German, Czech and Mexican. With informative essays and a cookbook bibliography, city archivist Mike Miller and the Austin History Center present this curious collection that's sure to raise eyebrows, if not cravings.

Mike Miller is the city archivist for the City of Austin and manager of the Austin History Center, Austin Public Library. A certified archivist, he has a BA in history from St. Edward's University and earned his MA in history and MS in information science from the University of North Texas. Previously he worked as the special collections librarian in the Texas/Dallas History & Archives Division of the Dallas Public Library, where he curated the Historic Maps and Kennedy Assassination collections.