1915 The picayune`s creole cook book, first published at the turn of

1850
1860
1870
1890
1910
1900
1915
1915
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2012
The picayune’s creole cook book, first published at the turn of the century,
S
S
Since 1837
1880
?
1837
became wildly popular by 1915. It was compiled to preserve for future generations the many Creole recipes and culinary traditions passed down from “the
lips of the old Creole” cooks. Assembled and edited anonymously, the cookbook
lives on as an encyclopedia of food customs, etiquette, race relations and holidays.
It has been published in more than 15 editions spanning more than a century.
Cover to Cover: While the cover of “The Pica-
yune’s Creole Cook Book” has changed over
the years, many of its Creole recipes have
remained the same. In 1987, the final edition was published by The Times-Picayune.
This Sesquicentennial Edition celebrated
the newspaper’s 150th anniversary and was
compiled and edited by Marcelle Bienvenu,
a noted Louisiana food writer, cookbook
author and Times-Picayune columnist.
Economical menus:
CULINARY HERITAGE: Ad-
vertisements for “The
Picayune’s Creole
Cook Book” varied
throughout the years.
The first edition was
priced at 25 cents,
while the Sesquicentennial Edition sold
for $14.95.
demonstrations: In 1932, The Times-Picayune
began offering classes in its Cooking and
Homemaking School, held in the Municipal
Auditorium and conducted by Jessie Marie
DeBoth. The classes, which ran through the
1960s, used recipes from “The Picayune’s
Creole Cook Book” and from DeBoth’s own
cookbooks.
Prohibition: During Prohibition, recipes
In addition to
recipes, the cookbook suggested
daily economical
menus showing
how “a family
of six may live
comfortably and
with variety on
from a dollar
to a dollar and
a half a day.”
It highlighted
efficient and traditional Creole
cooking, with
tips for inexperienced cooks.
containing liquors and wines were eliminated from the sixth and seventh editions of
“The Picayune’s Creole Cook Book.” Chapter
XLIII, “Domestic Wines, Cordials, Drinks,”
was removed and replaced with a section about “Iced Fruit Drinks.” The eighth edition, published in
1936, restored all recipes containing alcohol, and the cookbook was renamed “The Original Picayune
Creole Cook Book” with earlier versions of recipes containing alcoholic beverages and flavorings.
COMING TOMORROW
Zulu incorporates
to spoof white
Carnival.
MORE PHOTOS, STORIES
Expanded photo
galleries on
nola.com/
175years