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Dear Nannie... yours devotedly, Charlie 127 Culinary History: Introduction to the Study of the Cuisine of the Mid-19th Century Figgat and Godwin Families Fincastle, Botetourt County, Virginia 128 Dear Nannie... yours devotedly, Charlie Dear Nannie... yours devotedly, Charlie 129 Literature from Culinary Historians as a Sandra Oliver, a New England culinary histori- example, that the ingredients in a recipe may their time in history while deciphering and in- Standard for Our Research an, defined cuisine as what happens in the kitch- point to economic and geographic patterns. terpreting their recipes. We have made progress en, the source of food, and how it is prepared Instructions in recipes identify equipment avail- toward understanding the cuisine of the Figgat … no other aspect of human endeavor has been and served. As a Virginia Tech graduate student able and cooking methods used. Food prepara- and Godwin families. in 1982, Maryellen Spencer defined cuisine in tion and equipment indicate the status and type so neglected by historians as home cooking … We did not test the recipes of Nannie Figgat or when not searching for food, making baskets her dissertation as the culinary and gastronomic of household in which the recipe was prepared. Martha Mary Godwin, nor did we alter their and pottery, tilling the soil and tending livestock, profile of a culture. We hope our research will Wheaton stressed the importance of knowing recipes during the process of transcription. Each spinning and weaving, and bearing and rearing play a part in identifying the cuisine of these two whether a housewife was literate, what special recipe was individually analyzed with corrobo- children, of course – women have been invent- families of 1800s Botetourt County and con- skills she possessed, and what her kitchen was rating resources. However, former Hotel Roa- ing and perfecting the art of cooking … But the tribute to the broader understanding of this time like. Having Nannie’s diary and correspondence homely art of the hearth has never been deemed noke Executive Chef Billie Raper adapted a few period in the history of southwest Virginia. enabled us to follow Wheaton’s advice and to worthy of the same study as are other disciplines. recipes from the 1800s, including some from read the recipe books carefully in the context of 137 Although Hess once said the “homely art” of Nannie and Martha Mary, and these are pictured Karen Hess their time and place. Martha Mary Godwin’s Es- cooking had never been worthy of intense study, following the recipe transcriptions. tate Will also revealed the tools and equipment today there is greater interest in culinary his- that were used in her kitchen. Early on we thought some of the recipes were tory. We have reviewed the literature and studied When we set out to research the manuscript incomplete. These consisted only of lists of methods used by culinary historians and other Priscilla Ferguson advised that whether or not recipe books of Nannie Figgat and her mother, ingredients, usually with quantities, and not professionals such as dietitians, authors and we prepare a recipe, we can gain a sense of Martha Mary Godwin, we followed the principle always accompanied by instructions. But Oliver librarians. particular preferences and how food and places put forth by culinary historian Karen Hess, who describes this absence of detailed instruction tie together. She also said a cookbook and its stressed the importance of using any piece of in- Oliver wrote that researchers must remember as “vernacular” cooking. She wrote that most recipes indicate practice, and recipes are pri- formation available to help tell the story. We also that we cannot know without a doubt what a young girls of this early period were taught the mary indicators of identity. This is particularly considered advice from Rachel Laudan, who person ate in the past because food is ephemeral; skills for household management, including the true for manuscript cookbooks as opposed to said one of the most important qualities for any as soon as it is consumed, it disappears. She assembly of everyday recipes. Therefore, typical published cookbooks. Sandra Oliver and Nancy researcher of culinary history, whether trained or stressed the need to evaluate primary documents contemporary recipes just listed the ingredients Carter Crump have been successful in execut- not, is a passionate interest in the subject matter. and secondary materials, as well as available and give few, if any, instructions for preparation. ing historic recipes during their hearth cooking We have developed a tremendous interest in this artifacts. Elizabeth H. Sparks wrote in 1960 that Mistresses of upper-class homes copied entire demonstrations, although Anne Carter Zimmer project, which we began in 2009, and our excite- historians tend to place an emphasis on dates, recipes mainly for special use. Nannie’s recipes and Karen Hess reminded us that it is difficult to ment has only grown over the course of our acts and deeds, but they often ignore kitchen ac- follow this pattern. demonstrate old recipes and produce the same work. Although we are not culinary historians or tivities, which are part of the routine of everyday results. They pointed out the differences in food Of course, tears, stains and fading sometimes food historians, we were intensely interested in life. She believed a picture of our foremothers products today versus years ago. Both Oliver contribute to the incompleteness of the transcrip- this topic. in the kitchen is as important to an understand- and Crump grant that taste may be different but tions of the recipes. When confronted with these ing of our heritage as a picture of our forefathers Our research into the Figgat and Godwin fami- it can come close to the old recipes. Further- problems, we were often able to use facsimiles lined up on the battlefield. Jean Roddey agreed, lies of Fincastle began with the two manuscript more, it is typical that a cook will make subtle of contemporary cookbooks to fill in the gaps. writing in her cookbook that recipes reflect the recipe books housed in Special Collections at but intentional changes even when “following” Hess used this method to analyze the recipes of past, preserve our heritage and feed not only our Virginia Tech’s Newman Library and available a recipe. the Jefferson family at Monticello. online at http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/CulinaryHis- bodies, but our spirits. Roddey believed recipes tory/. In analyzing the recipes, we sought to weave a tapestry of memories from our past. Another culinary historian, Katharine Harbury, Our most frequently used reference was The compared three early manuscript cookbooks in Virginia Housewife, a cookbook by a prominent understand the circumstances of the families, in- Elizabeth Driver pointed out that cookbooks are Colonial Virginia’s Cooking Dynasty. She wrote Virginian, Mary Randolph. Her book has been cluding their food habits and the development of tangible, printed records that illuminate many about the customs and traditions surrounding the available through many editions since it was first their recipes. As Hess suggested, we have strived aspects of the past, and the identity of the recipe food preparation and duties of gentry women. published in 1824. In the 1984 facsimile, our to capture a piece of culinary history by cherish- author is of key importance. Author Donna Oet- Hess, Crump, and Leni Sorensen noted the lack reference, Hess commented that she regarded ing and using the available resources, i.e. the zel wrote that food has tremendous power over of information about the contributions of slaves The Virginia Housewife as the most influential Figgat and Godwin correspondence, Nannie’s our lives, which is precisely what makes it so and servants. American cookbook of the 19th century. Nannie diary and ledger, and Nannie and Martha Mary’s rich in symbolism and so central to our cultural Figgat had access to Mary Randolph’s cook- recipe books, as well as period cookbooks and traditions. The writings of these culinary historians have book; 20 of her recipes are annotated “Mrs. the diaries of two of Nannie’s contemporaries, grounded our research. Learning from their work Barbara Wheaton stated that turning to cook- Randolph.” Nannie also annotated several other Letitia Burwell and Lucy Breckinridge. has assisted us in identifying the recipe book books can help us understand the culture that recipes with the names of her neighbors and authors, learning about their relationships with produced the culinary tradition. She said, for relatives. We identified many of these people 137. Hess, Martha Washington, p. 3. others in the community, and keeping in context 130 Dear Nannie... yours devotedly, Charlie Dear Nannie... yours devotedly, Charlie 131 using contemporary records in the Botetourt food in her diary and a review of the groceries Cuisine Links: Tying the Diary and Cor- County Clerk of Court Office and Gray’s 1880 sold in her sons’ store in Roanoke. This section respondence to the Culinary History map of Fincastle. is followed by our analysis of southwest Virgin- ia’s cuisine, which begins with Nannie’s recipes Evidence of Food Storage and Preparation in and our transcription of her recipe book with 19th Century Fincastle and Botetourt County commentary. Next is our transcription of Martha 1. Food Storage Mary’s recipe book with commentary. The tran- In her book The Town of Fincastle, Virginia, scribed recipes from each book are divided into Frances Niederer discusses food storage in categories that we defined (e.g., cakes, breads, several historic homes. She wrote that the Mary meats). This section ends with a summary of Peck house had a large multi-purpose room food and hospitality of these Fincastle families. on the first floor. At one end of the room was A color section follows and includes photo- a cooking fireplace and at the other end was a graphs of contemporary outbuildings on the dugout for food storage.

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