Fannie Farmer - Infinite Women

Born: 23 March 1857, United States
Died: 15 January 1915
Country most active: United States
Also known as: NA

The following is republished from the Library of Congress. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).

Born on March 23, 1857, Bostonian Fannie Merritt Farmer significantly influenced the way Americans cook. By standardizing measurements in her recipes, Farmer guaranteed her readers reliable results. The Fannie Farmer Cookbook became a classic kitchen text. Still widely available, the cookbook remains a popular home cooking reference.

While a young woman, Farmer enrolled in the Boston Cooking School. After graduating in 1889, she became assistant director of the school. Within five years Farmer was at the helm, and, in 1896, she published the first edition of The Boston Cooking School Cookbook, today known as The Fannie Farmer Cookbook.

Preparing and eating food is an essential part of our culture. In American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936 to 1940, many interviewees discuss memorable recipes, meals, and foodways. Mary Anne Meehan, an American of Irish descent, made her living as a cook. She recalled the foodways of her youth:
I always was cooking. I can’t remember when I didn’t know how. My mother was a corking cook. She could boil a ten-penny nail and make it taste good. I took after her. I could make cakes, light as a feather and I was a master hand at pie crusts. My tart shells would melt in your mouth; if I do say it myself. Everybody made jelly then and tarts was a favorite dessert. You never see a tart nowadays.