Pages of the Past

Pages of the Past: Social and Cultural History through 20th-Century Cookbooks

December 2023 - July 2024

Cookbooks are more than a collection of recipes. Rather, they illustrate food systems, existing technologies, and practical life skills while also revealing cultural norms and social ideals. Throughout history, cookbooks have reflected divided societies based on place, class, race, and gender, but have also offered tools for preserving food and one’s health, creating community, and capturing moments in history. This exhibit confronts many tensions during the 20th century, whether it be the intersection of food and politics, shifting personal and cultural identities, or ideas around modernity and globalization. It offers a way in which to see cookbooks as important sources of knowledge in—and about—history.

An exhibit by the Fall 2023 food history students as part of the Applied Food Studies program at the Culinary Institute of America

Cover image from Reliable Recipes, undated, published by the Calumet Baking Co.

The Donald and Barbara Tober Exhibit Room is on the main floor of the Conrad N. Hilton Library. The exhibit room is open to the CIA community and to the public.  :: view campus map ::