"West Coast Cook Book" 1952 BROWN, Helen

"West Coast Cook Book" 1952 BROWN, HelenBROWN, Helen [419] pp. Bonanza Books 1952 8 1 4" x 5 3 4" Jacket design by Barbara Corrigan VG VG In the early 1950s, Helen Brown set out to write a cookbook that focused solely on the food culture of three dynamic states in the U. S. California, Oregon and Washington were the subjects prized west coast states known for their variety of topography from mountains to oceans, prairies to woodlands, hills to valleys, big cities to wide open country

BROWN, Helen

[419] pp.

Bonanza Books

1952

8 1/4" x 5 3/4"

Jacket design by Barbara Corrigan

VG/ VG

In the early 1950s, Helen Brown set out to write a cookbook that focused solely on the food culture of three dynamic states in the U.S.  California, Oregon and Washington were the subjects - prized west coast states known for their variety of topography from mountains to oceans, prairies to woodlands, hills to valleys, big cities to wide open country landscapes that encouraged a diverse variety of local flora and fauna.

Helen tackled this cookbook from three different angles - the history of the states and their occupants (how they got there, what recipes they brought with them, and the creative ways they adapted them into the local landscape); the abundant availability of fresh ingredients including seafood, produce and meat; and the ingenuity of each state's residents in the way in which they prepared the common foods of their local land. 

These three factors pull together a fascinating look at regional cooking from a historical perspective, a culinary perspective and a sociological perspective. Fun details include a comprehensive wine chart in the back, stories about most recipes and a chapter on foreign cookery which highlights the influence of Chinese, Mexican and Scandinavian immigrants and the impact they had particularly on the local food scene. 

Now considered a classic regional American cookbook, Helen Evans Brown (1904-1964) and her West Coast Cook Book were praised for the scholarly attention to detail, the precise recipes and the historical content that this bestselling cookbook offered. A well-known and beloved chef and food writer, Helen was friends with all the midcentury greats - Julia Child, James Beard, Craig Claiborne, M.F.K. Fisher and spent her life working in and around the food industry as a caterer, columnist, editor, writer and chef.