The Earliest Cookbook

In “The Little-Known Story Behind the Latke” (winter 2013), author Carol Green Ungar claims that the earliest American Jewish cookbook, entitled Aunt Babette’s Cookbook, was published in 1889.

However, I have in my possession a paperback version of The First Jewish-American Cookbook by Mrs. Esther Levy, published in 1871 in Philadelphia. The original title was Jewish Cookery Book: On Principles of Economy. It is filled with wonderful recipes from that era.

Phyllis Scheinberg Jay
Scarsdale, New York