The Emily Dickinson Cookbook: Recipes from Emily's Table Alongside the Poems That Inspire Them

Bring the mysterious and magical world of Emily Dickinson into your home by making the comforting foods that Emily loved to cook.

Whether you are a fan of the hit television series Dickinson or have long been inspired by Emily Dickinson’s poems, this enchanting cookbook brings Emily to life as little else could. A distinguished food historian said this about Emily: “She was probably better known as a baker than a poet in her lifetime.” Remarkably, that is true! Emily wrote her poetry in the kitchen of her home in Massachusetts and was cooking up a storm much of the time. She wrote poems on the wrappers of packages of chocolate that she had ordered for baking; and she wrote recipes in her notebooks of poems. Food and cooking were central to Emily’s identity and were woven into her vocation of writing poetry.

The more than 50 recipes in this colorful and lavishly illustrated book include recipes that Emily recorded during her life, other recipes we know she and her family enjoyed, and recipes typical of the New England of her time. All are completely updated for today’s cooks. Throughout, you will also find inspiring poems by Emily, some about food specifically, others that provide poetic inspiration for the recipes in this volume. The recipes include: • Winter Vegetable Soup • Carrot Fritters • Apple-Butter Glazed Doughnuts • Boston Brown Bread • Lemon Verbena Tea Loaf • Emily’s Oval Gingerbread Cakes • Chocolate Loaf Cake with Cherries • New England Pear Tart • Peaches and Cream Pudding • Emily’s Chocolate Caramels

This charming cookbook makes a perfect gift for the Emily fan in your life—or for yourself, if you happen to love Emily and the comforting foods of days gone by.

© 2022 Harvard Common Press (Ebook): 9780760374375

Release date

Ebook: 11 January 2022