The Virginia House-wife: 200th Anniversary Edition

At the turn of the nineteenth century, Mary Randolph—who was among Thomas Jefferson's extended family—and her husband, US Marshall David Meade Randolph, were celebrated for their lavish hospitality. However, in 1802, Mr. Randolph was removed from office, precipitating a financial downturn. By 1808, Mrs. Randolph opened a boardinghouse, where, by all accounts, the food and accommodations were splendid. In the years that followed, she committed her culinary expertise to paper, publishing The Virginia House-wife in 1824. It has come to be regarded as the most influential American cookbook of the nineteenth century.

This unique edition includes a complete facsimile of the original book—with recipes for delicacies such as lobster sauce and pumpkin pudding, and household tips on such things as curing bacon and making lavender water—plus additional recipes from the 1825 and 1828 editions. Historical notes by culinary historian Karen Hess explain Mary Randolph's influence on American culinary history, and a new foreword by Debra Freeman emphasizes contributions of the free and enslaved African American cooks on American cuisine.