As the weather cools and the days shorten, most people tend to spend more time at home. For me, that has always meant cooking for friends and family. When I first began cataloging books at the largest Black history archive in the Midwest, the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection, I was especially eager to catalog the rare historical cookbooks - some over a century old, others spiral-bound church cookbooks from the South Side of Chicago circa the 1970s - and anything else that could illuminate the rich history of agriculture, people, and food interwoven into American culture.
One of the very special gems that is available for public use and research in our collection is Good Things to Eat as Suggested by Rufus by Rufus Estes, published in 1911. One of the first cookbooks published by a Black chef, the title boasts over 800 recipes that are a fascinating look into food history. Born a slave in Tennessee in 1857, the author moved to Chicago to work in restaurants in 1881, eventually becoming a chef for the Pullman Company aboard luxury railway cars. Featuring a heartfelt introduction, the bulk of the book highlights Estes’ recipes for cuisine ranging from country style southern classics such as ham hocks with peas, tea cakes, and southern style waffles to dishes influenced by his travels to Russia, China, France, and other destinations abroad later in his career.
After cataloging the book into our reference collection at the Harsh (which is available to the public without an appointment during operating hours), I decided to try my hand at one of Estes’ recipes as both a historical and culinary experiment. Of course, I could have chosen to prepare for my poor family and friends his turtle meatball soup or oyster pie from the chapter on Lenten Specialties, but I declined so that I can still count on those close to me in my inevitable times of need. Instead, I made his buttermilk muffins, a simple recipe of 7 ingredients that is not unlike a remix of the standard cast iron skillet cornbread.
Estes instructs would-be-bakers to prepare a “hot buttered gem pan” (are there finer words in the English language?) and to beware that half of the recipe would be a suitable yield for a small family. I decided to add blueberries to add balance the richness of the buttermilk. Like most of the recipes in cookbooks from this era, the instructions are meager, and the weights of ingredients are slightly ambiguous - you may need to do a little double checking against both your judgement and kitchen scale.
Rufus Estes’ Buttermilk Muffins
(Measurements have been converted to modern weights)
485g all purpose flour
40g medium ground cornmeal
1 level teaspoon salt
3 level teaspoons baking soda
1 level tablespoon sugar
900 (!) grams of buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
Method, per Rufus Estes:
The experiment was one that left me feeling connected to history in new ways. Some notes: I decided to bake at 350 degrees, as it is the standard muffin baking temperature, though none is given by the author. No suggested amount of baking time was given by the author either, so I checked on them first after ten minutes, then again in 3-5 minute intervals to monitor doneness. An inserted cake tester came out clean at approximately 22 minutes.
The finished product was interesting. I baked one pan plain as instructed, and another with the added blueberries. Both versions were flavorful and had a soft but rich crumb and a slightly crispy, buttery exterior. The plain ones were a bit more savory - akin to standard cornbread but less dense - and would do well to be served with jam or honey, or without sweeteners and a bowl of hearty, tomato-based chili. The blueberry studded ones were nice on their own, enjoyable with a hot cup of tea and the afternoon fall breeze.
The collections at the Harsh, and CPL at large, also include modern titles that share the same subjects. This is a particularly interesting way to cross-examine any topic one is interested in, by comparing modern books with hard-to-source titles from the archives that illustrate the depth of history, make important connections, and provide new points of view.
For example, an excellent book in CPL's circulating collections is Michael W. Twitty's The Cooking Gene, a mesmerizing and emotional foray into food as a vector for understanding socio-political history throughout slavery to present, educating readers about how African cuisine influenced American Southern cuisine. Twitty authentically recreates historical recipes from plantations to illustrate these food experiences for greater understanding of how food helped to shape the American landscape.
To review our archival collections, please schedule an appointment online, or stop in during operating hours to see our current exhibit or read one of our rare books in our reading room. For more information, please visit our website.
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