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The Settlement Cook Book is a complete cookbook and guide to running a household, compiled by Lizzie Black Kander, first published in 1901. The compendium of recipes, cooking techniques, nutrition information, serving procedures and other useful information was intended to support young women raising their families. The context for the cookbook was the Settlement House of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which served the needs of recent immigrants including many Jewish families arriving from Europe. The vast scope of the content, and the re-writing process engaged in each year, results in a series of books that contains fascinating information about American culture throughout the 20th century. It was enormously popular within its target audience and became a classic across the U.S., selling two million copies. The Settlement Cook Book preserved the traditional European dishes (including substantially Jewish dishes), and made them American and modern. Jewish immigrants from Europe found in this book the way to both assimilate and also preserve their culture. The format of the Settlement book quickly changed from classroom lessons to recipes themselves, arranged by type of food. In addition, instructions were presented, as the audience for this book was new immigrants in the early 1900s. It continued to be reprinted every year for decades, and then was printed every several years for some time after that. The final, 43rd, edition was printed in 1991 by Simon & Schuster, edited by New York food writer Charles Pierce and included an expanded set of recipes. History The waves of immigrants (mainly Jewish) arriving in the Milwaukee area prompted various responses. The Settlement House and Lizzie Black Kander responded by doing everything possible to help their new neighbors assimilate successfully and become upstanding citizens. The immigrant community was understood to be a reflection on the more-established Jewish community, so the well-being of the two was connected. The cookbook was initially printed by Yewdale and Sons on April 1, 1901, in a pamphlet format containing 24 cooking lessons and 500 recipes. The cooking lessons were from cooking classes presented by the Settlement House of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which served the needs of recent immigrants from Europe, many of whom were Jewish or Italian. The Board of Trustees refused to pay the original $18 to print 1,000 copies, so Lizzie Black Kander worked with the publisher directly to sell advertisements. Those initial copies (at 50 cents each) sold out, and a new edition with incremental changes was printed again the next year, with advertisements again. The 1,500 copies of the second edition also sold out.: 306  The following year, another edition was printed with improvements. Funds raised by sales of the Settlement Cook Book were used to fund activities of the Settlement House activities, provide scholarship funds for students, and support a nursery school. The Settlement House moved to a bigger space in 1911 and was named the Abraham Lincoln house (later renamed the Milwaukee Jewish Center). By 1925, cookbook royalties added up to $25,000. Community program support was continued, and the building was renamed the Jewish Community Center in 1931. The new location for the Jewish Community Center was financed largely by the Settlement Cook Book sales.: 306  The Settlement Cook Book was intended for the people who were served by the Settlement house, so many dishes were from Eastern Europe. Kander herself was Jewish, and many of the Settlement house population was Jewish, and the cookbook became associated with Jewishness. However its focus was on assimilation, and the contents always included non-kosher foods. In later years, it did include more specifically Jewish content as well, such as Passover recipes in the 1947 edition. Kander sought to improve The Settlement Cook Book with every new edition, in order to both assist the reader and strengthen the Settlement House itself. Editions sold out, and the book became a classic. Contents General The goal of The Settlement Cook Book was to educate recent immigrants on everything necessary to create a healthy kitchen and home.The book included not only recipes, but also 'Rules for the Household,' with information on cleanliness and logistics. Every step was presented in simple language, and instructions were aimed at the inexperienced cook. Kander and her team actually prepared every recipe, in order to determine actual measurements for each ingredient (which had often not been specified before that time), and to ensure quality. The Settlement Cook Book taught assimilation as well – how ideal Americans should cook and eat their food. The family focus of the cookbook reflected the belief that a strong, happy family was integral to economic, community and personal happiness. Kander's Jewish background and her commitment to the well-being of the readers led her to create a hybrid cookbook based in regular, American eating habits that included Jewish food as well as non-kosher ingredients. Jewish recipes including kishke, kreplach, meat and dairy borscht, farfel, and cabbage pudding made with goose fat were the essential, eternal menu options. Alongside those were recipes that included pork and shellfish. Readers who wanted to completely assimilate could do that, and readers for whom traditional dishes were meaningful were also addressed. The varied options included chili con carne, chop suey and chow mein.: 306  Kander revised each edition until her death in 1940, and the organization continued publishing it until the 1970s. Since the book was modified each year that it was printed, consecutive editions present a glimpse into the changes in American Life in the 20th century. The recipes themselves spanned both the reader's traditional recipes from their (mainly Jewish) heritage such as 'carrot tzimmes' and 'potato kugel,' as well as the more diverse American menu including 'chicken chop suey for 15 people' and 'Mexican tamales.' Menus were designed for the working-class family with limited means, but there were also "company dishes" that included more expensive ingredients such as lobster. The continually-updated text reflected the path of Jewish cooking in the U.S. Household rules In the 1920 edition, there was not yet a list of utensils, but part of the Household rules section described the 'Window Cold Box' as a means of keeping food cold - a box attached to the home outside of the kitchen window. In that section were also directions for building a fire, and how to use a fireless cooker. In the 1926 edition, the 'List of Utensils' included approximately 100 items, from baking and cooking to utensils, packaging, and cleaning supplies. In the Household rules section were directions for keeping the ice box in working condition (including how to keep the pipes free from sediment from the melting ice). Also included were how to make soap, and instructions regarding window bo.... Discover the Simon Kander Henry Schoenfeld popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Simon Kander Henry Schoenfeld books.