The Heritage Kitchen: Forgotten Dishes From Old America & Niche Cooking Book

Step back into the kitchens that fed early America—where every recipe told a story, every dish came from the land, and every meal was crafted with patience, ingenuity, and heart.The Heritage Kitchen: Forgotten Dishes from Old America is a beautifully researched collection of 50 historic recipes that reconnect today’s home cooks with the flavors, traditions, and techniques that shaped our nation’s earliest tables.Cuisine historian and home cook Eleanor Whitford brings generations of culinary heritage to life, drawing from Appalachian homesteads, New England fishing towns, prairie farms, Southern boarding houses, frontier camps, and Great Lakes immigrant communities. These aren’t modern “reinterpretations”—they are faithful restorations of dishes prepared exactly as early American families once made them.Inside this book, you’ll discover:• Hearty staples like Salt-Rising Bread, Colonial Corn Cakes, and Homestead Johnnycakes• Comforting New England favorites such as Traditional Clam Chowder, Brown Bread, and Apple Pandowdy• Old Southern classics including Peanut Soup, Buttermilk Biscuits, and Redeye Gravy• Mountain treasures like Shuck Beans, Vinegar Pie, and Sorghum Molasses Stack Cake• Midwest farmhouse recipes passed down through generations• Forgotten boarding-house meals once served to travelers and railroad workers• Fisherman’s chowders, shrimp dishes, and coastal casseroles inspired by America’s oldest harbors• Rustic homestead desserts made from simple pantry ingredientsEach recipe includes a brief history, simple tools, easy-to-follow steps, serving sizes, prep and cook times, nutrition facts, and Eleanor’s personal tips for authenticity. Whether you’re feeding your family, exploring historic cooking, or simply craving comfort food that feels like home, these dishes bring the past alive in the most delicious way.Perfect for readers who love heritage cooking, regional American cuisine, cast-iron meals, Depression-era recipes, vintage cookbooks, homesteading, or the timeless flavors of real, honest home cooking.Rediscover the dishes America forgot—and bring them back to your own table.