PWMU Cookbook
- Year
- 1904
- Era
- 20th century
- Origin
- Australia · Oceania
- Language
- English
- Category
- Australasia
First issued in 1904, the PWMU Cookbook is a community compilation produced by the Presbyterian Women's Missionary Union of Victoria as a fundraising venture for its mission work. Drawing on contributions from members, it became one of Australia's most enduring domestic cookery books, passing through numerous revised editions across the twentieth century and serving as a reliable record of Anglo-Australian home cooking and its gradual evolution.
Cooking from this book
Melting Moments
Signature dishFew biscuits feel more emblematic of the PWMU Cookbook than Melting Moments, the buttery shortbread rounds sandwiched with soft icing that became a fixture on Australian church and country show tables throughout the twentieth century. Passed down through generations of Presbyterian women and reprinted across the book's many editions, they capture the volume's enduring spirit: thrifty home baking, communal fundraising and a quiet pride in getting the simple things exactly right.
An editorial note on a dish associated with this book, written for The Coquinist. It is not a reproduction of the book's recipe.
