''The Grocer's Encyclopedia'' (1911) is a book about the growing, preparation, and marketing of foods that was written and published in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

by Artemas Ward, an author and an advertising and marketing innovator. Ward released a specialized edition of ''The Grocer's Encyclopedia'' entitled ''The Encyclopedia of Food and Beverages''. He later retitled the books for future editions of both ''The Grocer's Encyclopedia'' and ''The Encyclopedia of Food and Beverages'' to ''Encyclopedia of Foods''.

Synopsis

The work was developed out of a rudimentary publication by the author in 1882, ''The Grocer's Handbook'', an effort which motivated him to refine the topic into the encyclopedia during "stolen minutes" throughout the thirty years intervening between the two publications. The encyclopedia covers more than 1200 topics from abalone to zwetschgenwasser (a plum

schnapps Schnapps ( or ) or schnaps is a type of alcoholic beverage that may take several forms, including distilled fruit brandies, herbal liqueurs, infusions, and "flavored liqueurs" made by adding fruit syrups, spices, or artificial flavorings to ...

), with 80 color pages and 449 illustrations in all. The encyclopedia has 12 pages on cheese, 20 on wine, 16 on tea, and 7 on

oyster Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but no ...

s. It also contains information on kosher foods, "new" meats such as kangaroo tails, cold storage, adulteration,

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product. Labels are most often affixed to packaging and containers using an adhesive, or sewing when affix ...

s, and

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...

s. The book also has a 39-page appendix listing 500 names used to describe foods and drinks and translations of the terms in French, German, Italian, and Swedish.

Reception

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

'' commented on the book in 1977, noting that it copies were now considered collectors' items and that "its contents opens an interesting window to a slice of bygone Americana."

References

External links

''The Grocer's Encyclopedia''
online. A part of Feeding America: The Historical American Cookbook Project, a collaboration between the

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

Library and the MSU Museum. 1911 non-fiction books American cookbooks 20th-century encyclopedias {{food-book-stub