The Whitehouse Cookbook (1887)

The cookbook includes a wide range of recipes covering everything from soups and sauces to meats vegetables and desserts. Many of the recipes were intended for large-scale preparation suitable for entertaining guests at official functions or large family gatherings. There are also instructions on how to organize and manage a large kitchen staff reflecting the formal domestic structure of White House life at the time. The book emphasizes the importance of both taste and presentation in keeping with the standards of etiquette that were integral to the public image of the White House. In addition to recipes The Whitehouse Cookbook contains a number of practical tips for household management including advice on setting the table serving meals and keeping the kitchen organized. It is a valuable historical document that not only offers insight into the culinary preferences of the late 19th century but also provides a glimpse into the social expectations of the time. Today it serves as a charming window into a bygone era illustrating the elegance and formality of the period's domestic life.