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Introduction
This page collects recommendations to get you started researching food history! Here, you'll find suggested databases (where you can find both primary and secondary sources) as well as books. If you are looking for historical cookbooks, recipes, and menus, check out the next page of this guide!
Recommended Primary Source Databases
Looking for historical mentions of particular foods or culinary trends? Browsing historical newspapers might be your best bet! The databases below will let you search for mentions of foods, culinary traditions, and chefs in the news.
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ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times with Index (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? Page image and full-text index to The New York Times. Additional year of content added annually.
- What dates are covered? 1851 - 2021.
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American Historical Periodicals from the American Antiquarian Society (Gale Primary Sources) This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? Full-text of historical magazines and periodicals digitized from the collection of the American Antiquarian Society. Includes Series 1-6.
- What dates are covered? 1693-1923
- What’s included? Full-text of historical magazines and periodicals digitized from the collection of the American Antiquarian Society. Includes Series 1-6.
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Providence Journal (Newsbank) This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? Articles from the Providence Journal. Searchable page images available for 1829 to present. Full text available from 1981 to present.
- What dates are covered? 1829 - Present.
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ProQuest Historical Newspapers: U.S. Collection (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
- What's included? Over 130 local newspapers across 35 states, from the first historical issue to the most recent. Provides state, local, and community news not covered in national and international dailies. Note: These are primarily non-New England sources; other databases may be more useful for local news.
Recommended Secondary Source Databases
The databases below are great for secondary information - including articles about the role of food in society.
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America: History and Life with Full Text (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? Citations to and the full text of hundreds of full-text history journals about the history and culture of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present. Includes features such as the ability to search by time period.
- What dates are covered? 1955 to the present
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Historical Abstracts (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? Indexing and abstracts of journal articles and other materials on the history of countries other than the United States and Canada. Updated monthly.
- What dates are covered? 1450 - Present
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JSTOR This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? Archival journal collections in many disciplines, scholarly e-books, images, and primary source materials from institutions worldwide.
- What else should I know? Many journals in JSTOR have an embargo (called the "Moving Wall") on their most recent articles, generally ranging from 3-5 years. Other databases will provide more current results.
Books on the History of Food
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A Rich and Fertile Land: A history of food in America
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Call Number: ebookISBN: 1780238827Publication Date: 2017This book investigates the history of food in America, drawing upon recent evidence from the fields of science, archaeology and technology. -
Chow Chop Suey: Food and the Chinese American journey
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Call Number: ebookISBN: 9780231541299Publication Date: 2016This text uses cooking to trace different stages of the Chinese community's footing in the larger white society. It begins with the arrival of men from the poorest district of Canton Province during the Gold Rush and covers history until the post-1965 arrival of Chinese immigrants from Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and many regions of mainland China. -
The Jemima Code: Two centuries of African American cookbooks
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Call Number: ebookISBN: 9780292745483Publication Date: 2015This book contains more than 150 black cookbooks that range from a rare 1827 house servant's manual, the first book published by an African American in the trade, to modern classics by authors such as Edna Lewis and Vertamae Grosvenor. The book contains photos, recipes, notes on the authors and their contributions, and the significance of each individual book included.
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Feasts and Fasts: A history of food in India
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Call Number: ebookISBN: 1780233914Publication Date: 2016This book describes India's cuisine in the context of its religious, moral, social, and philosophical development. It includes 100 images including some recipes. -
Cabbage and Caviar: A History of Food in Russia
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Call Number: ebookISBN: 9781789143652Publication Date: 2021This book covers the history of the large variety of Russian food, focusing not only on the actual food, but also on the history of Russian food, including hungry, scarcity and plenty. -
Delicioso: A history of food in Spain
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Call Number: Carothers Library Stacks TX360.S7 S48 2019ISBN: 1789141370Publication Date: 2019This is the first book, written in English, to trace the history of the food of Spain from antiquity to the present day. It covers the history of Spanish cuisine, the circumstances affecting its development and characteristics, and the country's changing relationship to food and cookery. -
Global Jewish Foodways
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Call Number: ebookISBN: 1496206096Publication Date: 2018This book gives their perspective on how historical changes through migration, settlement, and accommodation transformed Jewish food and customs.
