A rhyming recipe is a
recipe expressed in the form of a
rhyming
A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds (usually, the exact same phonemes) in the final stressed syllables and any following syllables of two or more words. Most often, this kind of perfect rhyming is consciously used for a musical or aesthetic ...
poem
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...
. Now mainly a curiosity, rhyming recipes were a common expedient for
homemaker
Homemaking is mainly an American and Canadian term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, housewifery or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational, day-to-day operations of a hous ...
s to memorize recipes in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Example: Sydney Smith's recipe for salad dressing
As an example, here is a poem that provides a recipe for
salad dressing
A salad dressing is a sauce for salads. Used on virtually all '' leafy salads'', dressings may also be used in making salads of beans (such as three bean salad), noodle or pasta salads and antipasti, and forms of potato salad.
Salad dressing ...
. The poem was written by
Sydney Smith
Sydney Smith (3 June 1771 – 22 February 1845) was an English wit, writer, and Anglican cleric.
Early life and education
Born in Woodford, Essex, England, Smith was the son of merchant Robert Smith (1739–1827) and Maria Olier (1750–1801) ...
, an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
writer
A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...
and
clergyman
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
, a wit and a liberal reformer, who is also known for being one of the founders of the ''
Edinburgh Review''.
The poem is as follows:
The poem was reproduced in the book ''Common Sense in The Household: A Manual of Practical Housewifery'' by Marion Harland, a pen name of
Mary Virginia Hawes Terhune, which was to become the most successful American cookbook at the end of the 19th century, selling over 10 million copies.
Through this book Sydney Smith's recipe became quite popular amongst American cooks, who would know the above
doggerel
Doggerel, or doggrel, is poetry that is irregular in rhythm and in rhyme, often deliberately for burlesque or comic effect. Alternatively, it can mean verse which has a monotonous rhythm, easy rhyme, and cheap or trivial meaning. The word is deri ...
by heart.
Notes
References
*''The Dictionary of American Food and Drink'', J.F. Mariani, Ticknor & Fields, New Haven, Connecticut, 1983. Library of Congress TX349.M26
External links
*{{usurped,
''The Rhyming Recipe''}, Nebraska State Historical Society
''Common Sense in The Household: A Manual of Practical Housewifery''by Marion Harland, New York: Scribner, Armstrong & Co., 1873.
''Rhyming Recipes Continue To Intrigue Readers'' column by poemlearners
article by poemlearners — look under "poemlearners"
English poems
Genres of poetry