Barossa Cookery Book

Description

First published in 1917 as a community fundraiser, this little cookbook with its 400 recipes contributed by women across the region raised enough money to establish the Tanunda Soldiers Memorial Hall, and in doing so became a local institution.  Referred to by the women in the region as ‘The Barossa’, it was a perfect little snapshot in time of family and culinary life.  In 1932, in the midst of the depression, the community needed to again raise funds for the Hall, so the book was refreshed and reprinted.  Another 600 recipes were added and it was given its distinctive line drawing cover of a happy housewife cooking for her family.  Since then the cookery book has become an iconic publication in its own right, heavy with food memories, but remains a living and breathing part of our regional food history.  One of Australia’s earliest community cookbooks, the Barossa Cookery Book is one of the very few still in continuous print, and the proceeds from the sale of the book still go to maintaining the original building. (in its current iteration as the Barossa Regional Gallery).  Now up to its thirty fifth edition it holds its quaint imperial recipes with enduring grace, although it has been updated to include a table of equivalents.

We love this cookbook and the food memories it holds.  We love that there are many families across the Barossa who are the keepers of recipes and stories just like these, and with their enduring themes of seasonality and frugality, these recipes remain as relevant now as 100 years ago.  Given the strong Germanic history of South Australia in general, but also the largely shared food history of Australia as a nation, there are many recipes in this book you will recognise, and we love anything that helps brings these recipes back to life.  We often refer to this book in our social media posts, and we love to collect the stories of the women in our community who contributed them.  If you love old cookbooks as much as we do, then you need this one on your bookshelf.

$20 each, with free standard postage (within Australia).  Overseas postage can be arranged but will attract additional charges.  Please contact us if you would like to arrange for express or international shipping.

All books are shipped via Australia Post.

Please note:  The rights to the Barossa Cookery Book are owned by the Barossa Council and managed by the Board of the Barossa Regional Gallery, and our promotional work of this community asset is done so with their permission.  Those Barossa Girls did not write, or are in no way associated with the printing or collation of the original book – we are simply ambassadors for it.  The Companion Book project that has been running alongside for the last four years is a new and separate publication.