The Industrious Country-Man and Virtuous House-Wife's Companion
- Year
- 1737
- Era
- 18th century
- Origin
- Scotland · Europe
- Language
- English
- Category
- English pre-1800
The Industrious Country-Countryman and Virtuous House-Wife's Companion, compiled by James Dunbar and first issued in 1737, is a Scottish household manual aimed at the rural family economy. Combining cookery receipts with broader domestic and husbandry instruction, it belongs to a tradition of vernacular guides intended for country housewives rather than fashionable urban kitchens, and remains a useful witness to provincial Scottish foodways and household management in the earlier eighteenth century.
Cooking from this book
Scotch Collops
Signature dishA signature dish from this volume is Scotch Collops, thin slices of veal or mutton gently stewed with broth, butter, and warming spices until tender. Emblematic of the practical country kitchen Dunbar wrote for, it shows how a thrifty housewife could transform modest cuts into a hearty, savoury supper. Its inclusion reflects the book's wider purpose of equipping rural Scottish households with reliable, economical dishes suited to farmhouse larders and everyday family meals.
An editorial note on a dish associated with this book, written for The Coquinist. It is not a reproduction of the book's recipe.
