Abstract
Cookbooks have been used to impart domestic advice and nationalism to their readers for centuries. American and British cookbooks during the Second World War served not only as a means of distributing recipes that took into account rationing and food shortage, but also as a way of educating women about nutrition and healthy diets, as well as to promote the citizen consumer. Despite the shortages of food, the nutrition and health of both nations improved during the war years. This article compares the use of and motives behind ration recipes during World War II in the United States and Great Britain by examining primary sources, including pamphlets, cookbooks, magazine articles, and advertisements. Overtly patriotic cartoons, poems, songs, and catchy saying were all used as means of educating the citizen consumesr. Cookbooks and ration recipes played an integral role in winning World War II on the kitchen front.
Highlights
During World War I I, cookbooks and recipe pamphlets did not provide instructions on how to prepare meals
I n addition to distributing recipes that took into account rationing and food shortages, they educated women about nutrition and healthy diets and promoted the citizen consumer
Daniel Horowitz summed up the relationship between government and food companies when he wrote that "working closely with business, labor, and consumer groups during World War I I, the United States government educated, cajoled, and forced citizens to buy and consume food i n ways that minimized the diversion of labor and foodstuffs from the war effort."50TM Many food companies produced recipe pamphlets and cookbooks, for cooking under wartime rationing
Summary
During World War I I , cookbooks and recipe pamphlets did not provide instructions on how to prepare meals. It provided an address to which citizens could send a postcard, i n order to receive a free dried-egg leaflet containing "many interesting recipes."xxvin The cooperation between the magazine and the F.M. is evident i n an article entitled "Dried Eggs." The article reads like propaganda, promoting dried eggs as one of the best foods that wartime rationing brought to Great Britain It offered some practical tips and tested recipes. Daniel Horowitz summed up the relationship between government and food companies when he wrote that "working closely with business, labor, and consumer groups during World War I I , the United States government educated, cajoled, and forced citizens to buy and consume food i n ways that minimized the diversion of labor and foodstuffs from the war effort."50TM Many food companies produced recipe pamphlets and cookbooks, for cooking under wartime rationing.
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