Encarnación Pinedo published a cookbook, El cocinero español, in 1898 in San Francisco.
She was the first Latina in the United States to publish a cookbook!
A member of the prominent Berryessa family in the San Jose / Santa Clara area of northern California, Señorita Pinedo captured in her book a view of the Californio culture from a woman's point-of-view, making it an historically-relevant document. We have nothing else like it.
I translated her book in its entirety -- all 900 recipes -- and included over 400 footnotes. These give the reader a depth of understanding regarding old cooking techniques, unusual ingredients, and cultural connections to her work.
I have also been trying out her recipes and documenting the results in this blog and in two others:
Goode Eates (click here to see this blog)
and
the California Food Project (click here to see this blog).
Join me as I explore her book, redacting her recipes and learning more about her culture.
