The Carolina Housewife

Published in 1851 in Charleston, The Carolina Housewife by “A Lady of Charleston” was described by Time magazine as an “incomparable guide to Southern cuisine”. With over 600 recipes, this treasury of Southern fare acknowledges for the first time the contributions of African American and Native American cooks by including recipes such as Hoppin’ John, Potted Shrimp, Seminole Soup, and numerous rice dishes.

Sarah Rutledge emphasized that The Carolina Housewife contained recipes that had been gathered from the community, tested in their own kitchens, and—a topic that still resonates today—appropriate for people of limited incomes. Other delicious recipes include Hominy Bread, Rice Griddles, Baked Shrimps in Tomatoes, Peach Sherbet, and Lemon Drops, all combining to make The Carolina Housewife “a treasure trove for social historians studying South Carolina culture and lifestyles,” according to South Carolina Historical Magazine. This edition of The Carolina Housewife was reproduced by permission from the volume in the collection of the American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Massachusetts. Founded in 1812 by Isaiah Thomas, a Revolutionary War patriot and successful printer and publisher, the society is a research library documenting the lives of Americans from the colonial era through 1876. The society collects, preserves, and makes available as complete a record as possible of the printed materials from the early American experience. The cookbook collection comprises approximately 1,100 volumes.