What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking: Soups, Pickles, Preserves, etc‪.‬

First published in 1881, “What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking: Soups, Pickles, Preserves, etc.” is the informative and practical guide to cooking, canning, and preserving by former slave Abby Fisher. The author was born into slavery in South Carolina in 1831 and moved to San Francisco in 1877, where she achieved fame for her pickle company and award-winning cooking. While Fisher was illiterate, she was full of wisdom and practical experience from decades of cooking and canning and dictated the 160 recipes in this classic cookbook to a group of nine people in San Francisco and Oakland, California. It was long-believed to be the first cookbook by an African-American author until the rediscovery of the 1866 cookbook by Malinda Russell titled “Domestic Cook Book: Containing a Careful Selection of Useful Receipts for the Kitchen”. Fisher’s recipes have survived the test of time and many are delicious and remain easy to make in modern kitchens. Part historical document, part useful cookbook, detailed instructions are included for how to cook using wood stoves and fireplaces. Fisher’s cookbook is a fascinating glimpse into the practical realities of cooking in the days before electricity and modern appliances.