Fannie Farmer 1896

Another find at the thrift store (this time the Association for Retarded Citizens [ARC]) was a facsimile of the 1896 Fannie Farmer cookbook.  Fannie Farmer was part of the Boston Cooking School.  Unlike Home Candy Making, this facsimile does not include the original cover or title page and, therefore, does not show the original copyright, although there is a new title page that gives the original copyright as 1896.

The first thing I noticed while going through the table of contents was a section of “ices, ice creams, and frozen desserts”.  This means by 1896 freezing was available in people’s homes (How come the first commercial refrigerator wasn’t on the market until the 1910’s?), which tends to corroborate Home Candy Making’s refrigerator claim in 1889. 

Fannie does not refer to candy making but, rather, uses the word confections.  Her confection section is 15 pages long and includes 47 recipes and/or variations.  It includes a chart of temperatures for the 11 stages of boiled sugar and talks about how professionals know by sound when syrup is at the correct temperature.  There is also a mention that fondant is the basis of all French candy.  A-ha!  I have my first connection to fancy Victorian French candy making.  Scientifically speaking, Fannie also states cream of tartar is added to prevent sugar from granulating.

This is the second cookbook I have read that uses a granite pot to make candy.  I wonder if there is some chemical reaction between granite and boiling sugar that makes these folks not worry so much about the sugar turning back into crystals, with the addition of cream of tartar, too.

Something else I just noticed.  Neither Common Sense, Home Candy Making, nor Fannie Farmer’s cookbook mentions fudge when it comes to making candy, although there seems to be a plethora of Victorian fudge recipes on-line.  Truffles were also not mentioned.  Great.  Just what I needed.  Another thing to research.  I have also noticed the use of rose as a flavoring in candies, something I would think of as very Victorian.  I can’t wait to try a few rose candies on unsuspecting students.

Well, lots of research coming up, and I still have to get my homework for the week done.  I’m going to be a very busy fellow.