The American Frugal Housewife
- Year
- 1829
- Era
- 19th century
- Origin
- USA · Americas
- Language
- English
- Category
- American
The American Frugal Housewife, first issued in 1829 by Lydia Maria Child, is a domestic manual aimed at households of modest means in the early American republic. Combining receipts with guidance on economy, preservation, and the management of small resources, it proved enduringly popular and passed through numerous editions over the following decades, becoming one of the most widely circulated cookery and household guides of antebellum America.
Cooking from this book
Economical Indian Pudding
Signature dishA signature dish associated with this book is Indian pudding, the homely New England dessert of cornmeal slowly cooked with milk and molasses. It became emblematic of Child's volume because the work championed thrift, the careful use of native ingredients, and the dignity of plain cookery for households of modest means. Indian pudding embodied all three virtues, turning inexpensive pantry staples into nourishing family fare suited to early nineteenth century American kitchens.
An editorial note on a dish associated with this book, written for The Coquinist. It is not a reproduction of the book's recipe.
