Long story short, in about 2005 I purchased a library from someone who was clearing out their old storage unit. Among the boxes and boxes I discovered a collection of well preserved old recipe books. The lion’s share of them were distributed as promotional material for kitchen appliances, processed food companies, and grocery stores. Their publication dates range from the 1940’s through the 1990’s, with most of them from the 60’s and 70’s. I’ve been carting them around now for years and have finally decided to show them off. They’re a fascinating snapshot of mid-century and later American culture through the lens of processed food. They contain whimsical design, outright sexism, a bit of subtle racism, and they convey the attitude of optimism inherent to the times they are from. They also contain a surprising number of recipes for loafs. Loafs of all kinds. I had no idea.
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Old-Timey Recipe Books 