Celebrating 4,000 cookbooks indexed with a cookbook giveaway, Part I

June 28, 2013·Lindsay

History of Food in 100 Recipes

We just passed the 4,000 mark in indexed cookbooks! And to celebrate, we have two cookbook giveaways.* This post is to win one of three copies of the first book, A History of Food in 100 Recipes, by our interviewed author this month, William Sitwell. To meet this esteemed Bristish writer, check out our interview.

To enter, just write a comment to this blog post by July 7, making certain that you have signed into the EYB site so we know how to reach you (you don't need to have a paid subscription to be a registered member of the site). Just answer this question:

William Sitwell

Which historical food fad/craze would you like to see come back? (We'd vote for fondue)

Best of luck!

*To enter the contest for Marie Simmons' Taste of Honey, click here.

This contest is now closed. The 3 lucky winners, selected by a random number generator, are kalex426, kate and pokarekare. Congratulations!

110 comments

decklededgesJune 28, 2013

The kid in me always wants to buy a box of Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls when I walk by them in the grocery store. I've resisted so far... Does that count? :)

DKennedyJune 28, 2013

Using stale bread as your serving plates!

TrishaCPJune 28, 2013

Blancmange!

rosyannposyJune 28, 2013

Gelatin desserts.

lmalterJune 28, 2013

I second fondue!

Aggie92June 28, 2013

Grasshopper Pie!

geoff@kupesoftware.comJune 28, 2013

iceberg lettuce!

maeveJune 28, 2013

Crock pot cooking! (Although I have 2 slow cookers that still see regular usage.)

jennccJune 28, 2013

Patty melts And Monte Cristos

GillBJune 28, 2013

Spanish Cream

scparksJune 28, 2013

Crepes!

kalex426June 28, 2013

No bake desserts, like all those icebox layered cakes my grandmother made.

bevmarshallJune 28, 2013

As it is winter here and we are eating a lot of soup, my thoughts often go back to the 1970s when it was de rigeur to make pumpkin soup in the pumpkin. I seem to remember taking the top off, scooping out the seeds leaving a couple of inches of flesh around the sides, filling the cavity with garlic, stock and milk and baking the whole thing in the oven. When the pumpkin flesh became tender, you would scoop the flesh into the mix and serve from the pumpkin. Very '70s chic!!

retrospethJune 28, 2013

TANG!

LambsearsJune 28, 2013

I'm very fond of some of the food of the 1970's - Beef Wellington and Prawn & Avocado cocktails always make me smile.

ThereseJune 28, 2013

I see your Fondue and raise you a FLAMBÉ
C'mon, Food on Fire - serve me your Bombe Alaska, your Crepes Suzette - a la table.

eclaireJune 28, 2013

Chocolate oatmeal no-bake cookies and celery with cream cheese and paprika on it always remind me of being a late 70s-early 80s child. Oh- and artichoke dip!

gingershelleyJune 28, 2013

Would love a copy of this book...

I adore a good monte cristo - so hard to find! I vote for that:)!

KarenSJune 28, 2013

Oyster loaf. I'd never heard of it until I read the Mary Lasswell books, and now I'm totally intrigued.

But Grasshopper Pie is a great suggestion too. Happy childhood memories.

MHLandSDZJune 28, 2013

Tuna Casserole. My children and I lived on it in the 80's. And so many different ways to make it.

kkbyrnsJune 28, 2013

Gelatin salads! Always served at holiday dinners in my childhood.

PollyalidaJune 28, 2013

Wait... I still make so many of the things people are mentioning. But gelatin salads, I do miss them! I'm with @kkbyrns - they were a childhood staple.

Tapper42ndJune 28, 2013

Prosciutto-wrapped anything

GailVTMJune 28, 2013

I'm in favor of fondue; there are only a few places that do it and do it well. I was recently in Quebec and I did see more fondue places there - YUM!
I'd also like to see Crab Louie Salad make a comeback.

kateJune 28, 2013

Crepes! Suzette or not...

JiggaliciousJune 28, 2013

I'm a big fan of bringing back fondue, too. But I think I'd want to bring back some old school meatloaf...and swiss steak. <3 Oh...swiss steak...well my mom's version, anyway. I did also like those fake chinese porcupine meatballs. ^_^

cmeredithJune 28, 2013

Welsh Rabbit! on melba toast topped with toasted almonds

rebeccagelsiJune 28, 2013

Devils on horseback (a hors d'oeuvre featuring prunes wrapped in bacon)

jctomasJune 28, 2013

Aspic!

KiyahJune 28, 2013

My mother used to make parfait in parfait glasses with layers of Jello, strawberries in syrup and cream cheese whipped with sugar and cream. I wouldn't mind seeing parfait make a comeback.

elysekJune 28, 2013

Definitely crepes from The Magic Pan!

CLeonardJune 28, 2013

I'd like to see the cocktail/finger sandwich come back. They're actually really tasty and always had a nice presentation. Very 1950's!

GoldenLeicaJune 28, 2013

I vote for fried chicken. Most of you will think that is still around, but my workplace has gotten "healthy" and they got rid of their best dish!

southerncookerJune 28, 2013

I'd vote for fondue as well. We often have fondue nights with my family here and love it.

bookbindJune 28, 2013

Nice!

geoff@kupesoftware.comJune 28, 2013

Crepes! And I do love those little Debbie's too!

sarahcooksJune 28, 2013

18th and 19th century punch

ckbksJune 28, 2013

Fruit soups, in the Eastern European style, served with a dollop of sour cream. Congrats on 4K recipes indexed! And thanks for sharing this book -- it sounds fascinating and has been on my radar.

trudys_personJune 28, 2013

I vote for fondue too! Good food with a social component - you can't go wrong!

KSendelbachJune 28, 2013

Punch!

musselwhiteJune 28, 2013

Fried, crispy, crunchy anything.

geoff@kupesoftware.comJune 28, 2013

Fish House Punch! It always meant a party at my house!

rrosselyJune 28, 2013

Chicken Kiev and cooking with butter (and no guilt!) Great site - I was just using it to decide which of my Pad Thai recipes I wanted to make.

geoff@kupesoftware.comJune 29, 2013

Canning recipes that help to preserve the summer's harvest of farm-fresh fruits and vegetables. I'd like to see it modernized to surpass the run-of-the-mill pickles.

ericanJune 29, 2013

Definitely aspic!

pokarekareJune 28, 2013

Cheese cubes and cocktail onions on toothpicks stuck into a grapefruit!

veronicafranceJune 29, 2013

Chicken Kiev! And proper trifle (no jelly allowed).

miggsyJune 28, 2013

I'm with you on fondue. Mmm!

dhizaJune 28, 2013

Shredded carrot and lime Jello salad...with a dollop of mayonaise.

ChandalfJune 29, 2013

There's nothing to beat a classic Prawn Cocktail. Not the pre packed gloop the supermarkets sell, but the real McCoy with fresh prawns and home-made mayonnaise. Mmmmm…

ellabeeJune 29, 2013

Tomato aspic (which has never really gone away around here; tradition persists though accompanied by trends).

GrywhpJune 29, 2013

Tuna casserole. Totally.

ballenJune 29, 2013

Pimento cheese ...

ae.bellJune 29, 2013

I think I'd like to see Eastern European farm food come back, but in a lighter, more modern way

sisterspatJune 29, 2013

remember the choc. cupcakes with the cream inside and the swirl of white frosting on top, my Mom put them in our lunch boxes and we felt so special!!!

napierJune 29, 2013

Not so much a food fad in the sense of a particular meal but a fad which came from neccessity: victory gardens in the 2nd world war. I would welcome this movement back to home grown food and by the sounds of things the 21st century version appears to be school gardens-something I hope grows apace and moves from a fad to a permanent part of how we interact with food.

ShikoomkoomJune 29, 2013

Making the most of unusual cuts of meat/offal. It's had a 'kind of' revival but is still considered unusual and 'risky'.

SLaneJune 29, 2013

It will be interesting to read more of this book and try the recipes.

JanSchollJune 29, 2013

I would love to see small veggie gardens in every yard-organic and healthy. When I go to the grocery store and ONE zucchini is a $1.50 I about faint! And move on to some other idea. A lot of the other ideas people have listed here, like crepes, fondue etc are big in my area now.

imaluckyduckyJune 29, 2013

Fondue parties need to be a thing! Actually, now I know what to suggest to my friends for next weekend. Bringing it back, one group at a time!

lawsonsJune 30, 2013

Flambé - the drama of it all!!

souprcookJune 29, 2013

Grilling on the table!

westerJune 29, 2013

So many foods used to be really special because they were new, and that won't come back. Remember that avocados were a really special thing? And eggplant?

That said, I wouldn't mind the Banting diet coming back - because it was the first diet that was called a fad diet, because it actually makes sense, and because "do you bant?" sounds so cute.

tuiJune 29, 2013

Trifle! An essential dessert for a Kiwi Christmas dinner and it was even better on Boxing Day. My mother made it with homemade cake, homemade raspberry jam, and our own cream, but she always used Edmond's custard powder. Sherry is essential, of course.

featherbooksJune 29, 2013

Chicken Kiev and gingerbread for dessert.

Mrs. LJune 29, 2013

Tuna Noodle Casserole. With the crushed potato chips on top. I've been craving it lately lol. My mom used to always make it back in the day.

achookwomanJune 29, 2013

Home baked bread. My mum would make a yeasty loaf. I can still smell the beautiful loaf fresh from the oven.

susan gJune 29, 2013

All the fancy little cookies that my mother used to make -- Russian tea cakes, Pecan Tassies and more in the 50's and 60's. The last addition to her repertoire was a layered thing with chocolate chips and one of the canned brand evap or condensed milk -- we thought it was wonderful! Bring back the Cookie Mom!

geoff@kupesoftware.comJune 30, 2013

Twinkies, Hostess Cupcakes, etc. -- but I guess they actually WILL be coming back! I will also say Cheese Fondue!

geoff@kupesoftware.comJune 30, 2013

I'm with the aspic crowd, assuming it is tomato aspic, made in a ring mold. And oh yes, a dish of my Mother's blue cheese mayo dressing in the middle.
Actually, I'd vote for all of the above. Off to the kitchen!

DesiKimJune 30, 2013

Cooking with butter and cheese and deep frying without the associated guilt that has become de-rigeur these days.

geoff@kupesoftware.comJune 30, 2013

carbet bagger steaks(fillet,stuffed with oyster and wrapped in bacon)

dawnwaldronJune 30, 2013

My mum and dad used to make brawn from pigs brains and dense, sweet and spicy bread pudding that kept you going all day. I can live without the brawn but the bread pudding was heaven!

madamepinceJune 30, 2013

Fondue is good! But inspired by a combination of "Gallery Of Regrettable Food," and Adler's, "An Everlasting Meal," I'm going for toast. With THINGS on it. We forget that toast-on-demand was a hot new invention once. <g> And may I say that this entrancing-sounding book would make an excellent companion to "A History Of The World In Six Glasses," which 'm currently reading?

BreadcrumbsJune 30, 2013

Stuffed Baked Potatoes. Food courts had spud spots where you could purchase your spud loaded up with any combination of toppings. I used to get a baked sweet potato stuffed with broccoli and cheese for lunch...pure heaven!

martamcJune 30, 2013

Quiche! Maybe because it would make me feel 30 years younger.

Lgw713June 30, 2013

Someone above mentioned canning. That's something that I've picked up again. There are a few new books out that have fresh new recipes for canning.

SoccermomJune 30, 2013

Pressure cooking, with many excellent recipes to choose from

hihelen_westbrookJuly 1, 2013

Fondue!!!!

camtncookJune 30, 2013

I'd go with Magic Pan crepes....

TiurJune 30, 2013

head fish curry cooked on wooden fire. To remember how the smell of the wood burning and the smell of the curry, make me missed home

lonestarlassJune 30, 2013

Meatloaf, although we do make my husband's recipe frequently.

eljay65June 30, 2013

cooking over an open fire - or failing that - prawn cocktails!

geoff@kupesoftware.comJuly 3, 2013

Flambe - anything!

nickiwoodJuly 1, 2013

Meat roasted in an inglenook fireplace on a spit turned with a spitjack. Wait, does it have to be a recent craze?

HilaryvuJune 30, 2013

oh, chicken kiev! That was the height of sophistication when I was first cooking!!

PatriciaAnnJuly 1, 2013

Peach Melba gets my vote :)

bumblebreeJune 30, 2013

I can't think of anything other than fondue now!

wildaboutmnJuly 1, 2013

Ice cream drinks -- Grasshoppers, Brandy Alexanders, Pink Squirrels, etc. You get your after-dinner drink and dessert all in one!

AndreaMeyerJuly 1, 2013

Avocado Ritz has my vote :)

toddschutJuly 2, 2013

City Chicken.

gracefairbanksJune 30, 2013

Prawn Cocktails! 80's glamour!

pamandabJune 30, 2013

Before I even read your answer, mine was fondue! My parents are of that generation, and between them, my sister, and I we have (ahem) 7 pots. Bring it back!!

If I can respond by saying what I'm glad *isn't* back, it would be 'canned soup' based recipes, and my dear departed grandmother's favorites: savory jello molds...

krobbins426July 1, 2013

Fondue or deviled eggs.

WaderuJune 30, 2013

Polynesian-style/tiki themed parties and buffets.

JaneJuly 8, 2013

Thanks to everyone who entered this contest. The 3 lucky winners, selected by a random number generator, are kalex426, kate and pokarekare. Congratulations!

bookpoetJuly 7, 2013

Bring back open fire cooking that provides the kind of high heat that just can't be reached on our modern stoves. In experimenting with 18th century recipes, I've come to realize we've gained convenience, cleanliness and safety with our modern cooking appliances but have lost the power, sear, flavor, and yes, rapidity, that truly high heat cooking provided. (I'm one with the punch people too).

fmd518July 7, 2013

Fondue

BonnieontheBlockJuly 6, 2013

Fat in general, especially butter and heavy cream. Fat is flavor and it is very hard to cook without it. As Julia always said, all things in moderation

bernsfieldJuly 6, 2013

Chicken a la King and date bars (with an oatmeal cookie crust )

chefteeJuly 6, 2013

My grandmother used to make a Tunnel of Fudge cake and I thought it was her creation until I was doing some research and found out it was a Pillsbury recipe - or maybe they took the idea from her? She also made every type of jello molded salad you could think of. They are the memories that I cherish and maybe it would be fun to teach my children about them...

topdawg11July 1, 2013

using the whole animal especially pork.

EvieJuly 6, 2013

What I'd like to see back in vogue: Canning and preserving.

girlplusfireJuly 5, 2013

Fondue too!

jenniesbJuly 2, 2013

I would love to see fondue having a moment!

geoff@kupesoftware.comJuly 4, 2013

More aspic

bernsfieldJuly 5, 2013

The History of Food in 100 Recipes: What an interesting concept for a cookbook! We take for granted how the foods we find commonplace developed and evolved through history. ..from the simple foods for survival to the feasts of the wealthy and powerful. We also must remember how foods "traveled the world" through the journeys of the explorers and population migrations, expanding the horizons of taste for everyone. This would be a wonderful resource for fun and educational dinners as well as a "textbook " of the evolution of food.

Queezle_SisterJuly 3, 2013

Jellied foods, such as aspic, agar-agar, and dare I say it? Jello!

nelsonjaybearJuly 2, 2013

Fondue too- after 30 years of marriage my husband informed me last week he would love a fondue!!

VanessaJuly 2, 2013

Syllabub.
(because I love the word!)