You may know that the woman suffrage movement played a significant role in winning women the right to vote. But are you aware that an important tool that they employed to educate, persuade, and build community was cookbooks?
Kim and Leigh discuss how one of the movement’s self-published community cookbooks would serve as a testament to the suffragettes’ commitment to their cause and their desire to build a better world for themselves and their families.
No ordinary cookbook
The Woman Suffrage Cook Book is not your ordinary cookbook. Published in 1886, edited by Hattie A. Burr with recipe contributions by suffragettes, supporters, and women across America it served as a tool for fundraising, with proceeds supporting the movement. But it served an even greater purpose. It was a way to educate the public regarding the suffragettes’ goals and aspirations. By sharing family recipes and offering tips on household management and care of the sick and infirmed, it demonstrated that they were not just political activists but also wives, mothers, and homemakers.
The recipes provide a glimpse into the food culture of the time and serve as a reminder that food is more than sustenance. It can build community, shape culture, and be a catalyst of social change.
If you were to create a cookbook for social change, what would you call it?
Transcript
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Sources We Found Helpful for this Episode
All Stirred Up, by Laura Kumin
Books We Think You’ll Enjoy Reading
All Stirred Up, by Laura Kumin
The Woman Suffrage Cook Book, edited by Hattie A. Burr
The Woman Suffrage Cook Book, edited by Hattie A. Burr PDF version
Episodes We Think You’ll Like
Ep 36 - Feminism at the Kitchen Counter: From Betty Crocker to Julia Child
EP 37 - From the Kitchen to the Voting Booth: Suffrage for Women and Community Cookbooks
EP 43 Food Pioneers: Life and Career Highlights of People Who Make Food Great
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EP 57 The Right Ingredients: How the Woman Suffrage Cook Book Stirred Up the Movement