1958
Author: National Dairy Council
Post written by: Cate Kirk
This Dairy Cook Book was published by the National Dairy Council in 1958 and features various dishes like meals, dips, and desserts all featuring dairy, accented by charming illustrations on the pages. The National Dairy Council is a non-profit organization founded in 1915 and exists to promote the benefits of dairy foods. The cookbook was likely made to help in their mission of promoting dairy by showcasing various ways it can be used. Thic cookbook specifically mentions the Chicago branch in its copyright information, so it was probably written by a group of Dairy workers in Chicago. The book starts with an introduction explaining how beneficial dairy can be and how easy it is to incorproate into meals, followed by guides on how to buy, measure and properly care for dairy foods. It also features simple lists for easily made sauces and butters before getting into the proper recipes. Every dish incorporates dairy in one way or another, whether it be for a sauce, butter, cheese, or just using milk in baking. My favorite part of the book was the adorable cat chef who follows us along as we read the different recipes. The cat appears feminine with eyelashes and a frilly apron, which of course makes sense for a 1958 cookbook as women did most of the family cooking at that time. We now know that milk is generally bad for cats as they cannot digest the lactose – another indication of the time period.
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