Jane Conway & Randi Julia Ramsden

×

Expand

courtesy Wisconsin Historical Society Press

A close-up of Jane Conway (left) and Randi Julia Ramsden.

Jane Conway (left) and Randi Julia Ramsden.

media release: From the state that brought you the latest season of Top Chef comes a tantalizing look back at some of our culinary quirks and traditions. A blend of cookbook and bite-size history, Extra! Extra! Eat All About It!: Recipes and Culinary Curiosities from Historic Wisconsin Newspapers offers a unique glimpse into the gastronomic landscape of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Fifty vintage recipes are served alongside engaging essays that dig into the stories behind the food trends of the time. 

In lively prose, authors Jane Conway and Randi Julia Ramsden reveal how coconuts and oysters made their way to 1800s Wisconsin, how bakers gauged the temperatures of their wood-burning stoves, and how our predecessors really did slip on banana peels, among other flavorful facts. In addition to capturing quirky food fashions, like breakfast parties and paper-bag cooking, the recipes highlight regional cooking traditions, and each original recipe appears alongside the authors’ easy-to-follow updated version to fit today’s kitchens.

Mouthwatering modern photos showcase the revived dishes for the first time in their long history, while newspaper clippings, ads, and illustrations bring a charming retro feel. Featuring a variety of recipes, ranging from trendy (Barbecued Ham with Bananas) and tempting (Pickled Walnuts) to traditional (Pumpernickel) and tantalizing (Apple de Luxe), Extra! Extra! Eat All About It! will satisfy the appetites of history lovers and home chefs alike.

Jane Conway and Randi Julia Ramsden worked together on the National Digital Newspaper Program at the Wisconsin Historical Society. In 2019, they began researching, cooking, and writing for the Cooking Up History series, which provided the inspiration for this book. Ramsden lives in Madison with her family, who continues to volunteer as taste testers for the authors’ culinary time travels. Conway is a culinary history enthusiast who currently resides in the mountains of West Virginia.

“Such a fun and fascinating book! Extra! Extra! Eat All About It! deftly delves into Wisconsin’s long-ago food fads, evolutions, and absurdities. Don’t be surprised if this book inspires new trends that are riffs on some of these century-old ideas. Pickled walnuts, anyone? Or mock pumpkin pie, with prunes?” —Mary Bergin, author of Wisconsin Supper Club Cookbook