Manuscript Recipe Books in Early Modern Europe with Sarah Peters Kernan

Please join us for a talk by Dr. Sarah Peters Kernan on recipe books from the early modern period (1500 - 1800). These manuscripts containing culinary, medical, cosmetic, and household recipes include valuable clues about their owners and the contexts in which they collected, composed, and transmitted this information. Dr. Kernan will discuss her 2024 collected volume on culinary recipe books co-edited with Helga Müllneritsch, titled Culinary Texts in Context, 1500–1800: Manuscript Recipe Books in Early Modern Europe. She provides a fresh perspective on early modern recipe books by placing them within a wider European context, including regions like Catalonia, Finland, French and German-speaking regions, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and England. By considering a large number of recipe books produced throughout Europe, the materiality of these books, and the inclusion of specific ingredients and preparations in their recipes, Dr. Kernan identifies several patterns of manuscript creation, recipe collection, and international recipe transmission.

This free event is hosted by the Aldus Society, central Ohio's organization for book lovers. Doors open at 7:00, the talk begins at 7:30. The Aldus Society is located at 91 Jefferson Avenue (Thurber Center, next door to Thurber House). Please check our website to learn more about upcoming events.