U of G Library

https://media5-us-west.cloudokyo.cloud/video/v5/7d/44/91/7d449184-24d7-4b8e-a53b-aed951cd2481/master.m3u8

The University of Guelph has been at the forefront of foodways education and research. Our Culinary Collections feature over 20,000 books, manuscripts, and archival resources--some of which date back to the 17th century. This collection provides valuable information for understanding topics like food choices and habits, medical remedies, and economical history.

Discover the Culinary Collections today: https://www.lib.uoguelph.ca/.

Video transcript: 
[Music plays] 

I'm Melissa McAfee, the special collections librarian. And I'm delighted to show you our culinary collection today. 

[Melissa stands behind a table that has various items from the culinary collection set on display cushions.] 

Not everything in our collection is rare and old, but oftentimes derives their significance from being part of a collection. And this is the case with the culinary collection. It's a collection of 20,000 cookbooks dating from the 17th century to the end of the 20th century. It also includes ephemera and the papers of Canadian food writers.  

Although we certainly get a lot of people locally, we get people from all over the world who come to see this collection. 

[Melissa carefully places the Futurist Cookbook and the New Margene Recipes book on a display pillow.] 

The collection has been primarily used by scholars who are researching food history.  

[Melissa uses a string weight to hold open The Queen-Like Closet.] 

It's also used a lot by people who are really into food, as well as chefs. We've had chefs from all over Canada come to look at this collection. And more recently, the collection has been the focus of exhibits and digital humanities projects that are curated by students at the University of Guelph. 

Well, this is a reprint of the 1932 edition of the Futurist Cookbook, which was written by Tommaso Marinetti in 1932. So the purpose of the cookbook was to totally transform Italian cooking. 

[Melissa opens the book to a black and white photo of the author, Marinetti.] 

Marinetti really wanted it to be more joyful and dynamic. 

He was promoting things such as food sculptures, spraying perfume between courses and short little poems and bits of music to enhance the joy of eating. 

[A paper reading “Hello! I am made of suet....” is seen in front of a sculpture of a bear standing on its hind legs, with its mouth slightly open and holding a fish.] 

[Melissa holds the edges of a book titled New Margene Recipes, showing off the illustration of a Margene package on the cover.] 

This is the 1949 edition of the Margene recipe cookbook. It was produced by the Canada Packers to advertise some of its products, including margarine, which had been banned in Canada until 1948. 

[Melissa flips to a page titled “How to colour margene a golden yellow in 3 minutes” with black and white images of the process.] 

The cookbook is written by a fictional character, sort of like a Betty Crocker of the US. She was invented by the Canada Packers to advertise their cookbooks.  

One of the strategies for this advertising cookbook to get people to buy Margene was to promote it as a healthy food. And on this cover, you can see very prominently that it contains large doses of vitamin A and D. 

The other thing that I think is really interesting about this is that they got the stamp of approval of the Chatelaine Institute, which tested and approved all the recipes in this cookbook.  

It was designed by A.J. Casson, who as a lot of people know is a very important Canadian artist and was part of the Group of Seven. 

This is the 1684 edition of the Queen-Like Closet by Hannah Woolley. Books of this era not only include recipes for food, but also receipts for medicine to cure a lot of ailments, including the plague. 

[The Queen-like Closet book is open, showing a woodcut illustration of cooks and information about the book and its publication.] 

[Explore U of G’s Archival and Special Collections. Visit lib.uoguelph.ca to get started.] 

[University of Guelph logo Improve Life]

U of G Library

Recommended

Cookery Book Collections

Culinary History

Agricultural History & Rural Heritage Collections - U of G Archival & Special Collections

Introduction to U of G's Archival & Special Collections

807 COOKS AND BOOKS

Five Oldest Cooking Traditions | Still Standing

Exhibiting Excess: Food through Art and History

FREE 36 Page Traditional Foods Pantry List - Printable Pantry Staples List

Our Collection of Culinary Gems, From Concept to Creation | Four Seasons Masterdish

Culinary Conservation

How I Organize my Spice Cabinet, Collard Valley Cooks

Buffet and its Type by Amit Gupta

Long Term Food Storage Organization Project (Episode 1)

Declutter with Me! the Spice Cabinet (kitchen series) {Ep. 3 of 4}

Bakery and Pastry Section by Pranav Bhatt

Organizing My Pantry | Bold Baking Vlogs

Ancient Grains at the Kelsey Museum

Regional & Early Campus History Collections - U of G's Archival & Special Collections

The shocking history of YOUR favorite food | Ep186

Organizing My Prepper Pantry | & Easy Air Fryer Dinner | Vlog

Cuisines Around The World.12 Unique Cuisines Around The World by Traditional Dishes|Traditional Food

Amazing Kitchen Shelves Design and Ideas

NOPI THE COOKBOOK - BOOK

My Vintage Props and Bakeware | Bold Baking Vlogs

21st Century Food Systems

Italy with friends Webinar Series - Food Treasures from Emilia-Romagna - LIVE Cooking Class

DIY PANTRY ORGANIZATION! Building French Cleat Pantry Shelving

100 Years of Family Dinners ★ Glam.com

2020 Thanksgiving from Tammy's Perspective, CVC's Southern Kitchen

ANTIQUES HAUL + UPGRADING OUR KITCHEN // Wholesome Autumn Baking // Fashion Mumblr