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Cay Gibson
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I am in a desperate search for Jenn M's favorite liturgical year cookbook: Cooking for Christ by Florence Berger.
I can't seem to find a used copy or an online copy. Just excerpts.
Has anyone had any luck? Or have a copy they care to part with? 
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Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
wife to Mark '86
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Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks
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JennGM
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Cay,
A revised version from 1996 is available at ncrlc.com. It's disappointing how they edited this book. I can't imagine why they thought they had to. Here's an example, the bolded is now removed from the original:
Cooking for Christ wrote:
| You will find traditions very easy to begin again with children. When they are grown men and women, they will be loath to cast them aside. Most American families threw their spiritual and social traditions into the sea when they left Europe. They no longer wished to appear Dutch or French or Swedish -- so they left you and me without a background. We did get Thanksgiving for a feast day, but look at what we gave up. |
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And this whole paragraph, which made such an impression on me, is missing. I find it echoes what we're trying to do with real learning:
Cooking for Christ wrote:
| One of the saddest complaints I ever heard came from a mother at a Family Life Conference. She couldn't stand her teen-age daughter messing in the kitchen. The daughter had ideas of preparing food differently, and she was just in the way. As a result the mother's kitchen was very tidy, but her daughter's emotions were in a clutter. Christ means parents to be teachers. A child can learn best by doing. If our homes were real workshops, with Christ as the manager, the parents as foremen and the children as workers, we would educate more mature Christians. |
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That's just a sampling. So much of her personal and family notes are edited out, and it just makes me sad. They updated the recipes, since some cooking techniques and ingredients are antiquated and "bad" but they lost the charm. I keep hoping the original would come back in entirety, but knowing some of the leanings of the organization, I'm not going to hold my breath.
Anyway, the original book is a treasure and worth paying a larger price. I've found a few copies over the years (to give to my siblings), and I did find a few online right now under $50. It's high, but for me personally, I think I've paid that.
Can I talk more about my favorite book? I tell you, if I had to evacuate my home, I'd grab my photos, my special jewelry, and my favorite liturgical year books. If I had to choose one, this would be it.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Family in Feast and Feria
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Cay Gibson
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JennGM wrote:
So much of her personal and family notes are edited out, and it just makes me sad. |
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Ugh! I want the original. I don't like old books being messed with.
JennGM wrote:
| They updated the recipes, since some cooking techniques and ingredients are antiquated and "bad" but they lost the charm. |
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Ugh, again! 
JennGM wrote:
| Can I talk more about my favorite book? |
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Oh, I wish you would. I've been reading online excerpts and I'm salivating for my own.
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Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
wife to Mark '86
mom to 5
Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks
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guitarnan
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Jenn,
As someone who's just mopped up cocoa powder, confectioner's sugar, strawberry tops and other stuff from my kitchen - all strewn about by my 10 year old dd, who is a gifted cook, I totally relate to the paragraph you cited. It is hard for me to give over my counter space, but I know I am nurturing not just a possible career option (one that is flexible if you're raising a family!) but also a cherished family tradition. My grandfather had a spice and seasonings company, and his father was a baker. It's a privilege to see these gifts blossom in my child.
Looks like I have another book to add to my must-own list!
Cay, I'll keep my eyes open here in MD...maybe we'll find two copies!
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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Mackfam
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Jenn - What would I look for to find an original??? A published before "x" date? A publisher?
I'd really like to find an original copy of this book.
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Jen Mackintosh
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JennGM
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Mackfam wrote:
Jenn - What would I look for to find an original??? A published before "x" date? A publisher?
I'd really like to find an original copy of this book. |
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The book was published by National Catholic Rural Life Conference, Des Moines, IA in 1949. The first print was a hardbound copy. Later it was issued as a fund raiser for parishes. The copies were plastic comb bound, with many parishes printing ads and personal recipes on extra pages throughout. It's still the exact original text. Later it was reissued in the 1970s (my mother got a new copy then), still plastic comb bound.
I never knew there was a hardbound until I raved about the book around 1993 with Scott Hahn and he produced a hardbound copy from his library. So then I went on a quest to find a hb (that was before internet!).
As NCRLC was ministering to rural area Catholics and were based in Iowa, you ladies in the Midwest have a better chance of stumbling across a copy in used bookstores. Look for white plastic comb cookbooks, fundraiser cookbooks, and you might find a copy.
It was this book that got me started on the Liturgical Year, and I also did my bachelor's thesis on the NCRLC and the family. So my apologies for gushing so....
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Family in Feast and Feria
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Cay Gibson
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Jenn,
I'd like to discuss this book further.
One ? I have is where did the author get all her knowledge and research? The book was first published in the 1940's (ie: before the Internet) but, from my excerpt reading, she seems to have a grasp of legends, traditions, folklore as though she had the Internet to turn to.
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Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
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JennGM
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Cay Gibson wrote:
Jenn,
I'd like to discuss this book further.
One ? I have is where did the author get all her knowledge and research? The book was first published in the 1940's (ie: before the Internet) but, from my excerpt reading, she seems to have a grasp of legends, traditions, folklore as though she had the Internet to turn to. |
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Well, it seems she used the old-fashioned leg work and oral tradition, and probably help from the organizations she belonged to, the Liturgical Conference (part of the Liturgical Movement) and the National Catholic Rural Life Conference. Priests like Martin Hellriegel and Msgr. Ligutti and Virgil Michel were instructing the lay members on how to unite their lives more closely with the liturgy. So she would have tapped in on their knowledge (like she shares Msgr. Hellriegel's story of the Golden Egg in her Easter section). Various periodicals at the time had short articles (and then there would have parish workshops and study groups) to draw information.
From my personal research, I think this is the first Catholic cookbook of this genre in the US. I haven't been able to find a dedicated book before 1949. 1951 came Feast Day Cookbook by Katherine Burton and Helmut Ripperger (which has recently been reprinted). This is a more well-researched and "scholarly" cookbook, with specific traditions and recipes for feast days. Katherine Burton was a writer and wrote many saint biographies. Florence Berger's book reflects her own home, daily liturgical living, and the shared experiences from friends and family with ethnic traditions and recipes, and liturgy.
There was much more oral tradition in the 30s and 40s. I find my mil remembers traditions and foods attached to certain days. There was a rhythm of the seasons and the home echoed it. And if you surrounded yourself with people who had various heritages, it would be easy to find out recipes.
For instance, her chapter on St. Stephen of Hungary has a Dobosh Torta (sp), a recipe from her Hungarian neighbor who explained the significance of this saint and the Hungarian customs. She uses a recipe on New Years Day for a New Year Kranz or pretzel, from her family relatives who had a bakery in Peoria.
Her Christmas chapter she touches on all the types of bread that is made for the feast day, from all different countries. I've found that even with "secular" ethnic cookbooks I can come away with fabulous traditional feast day food recipes. They are there -- Easter breads, St. Joseph foods, Christmas cookies, St. Nicholas foods. The recent cookbook Cooking with the Saints pulls out recipes from non-English cookbooks, which I wonder if she did the same. I'm sure there were pamphlets and smaller books documenting customs from a specific country, like this 1945 pamphlet from England A Candle Is Lighted by P. Stewart Craig. There were also secular books I know around the same time that described festivals from various countries that she could have pulled some information.
Then she also ties in the Church's liturgy, the readings, the collect prayers, the blessings of the Roman Ritual. Assumption with the blessings of fruits and herbs, she shares recipes that tie in the herbs. Pentecost she shares picnic foods.
Another source I think she would have used is Almanacs. Those are a wealth of folklore and traditions connected to a day.
I found this 1949 Time Magazine article. It's neat to get a personal look at the author, even if only in "words".
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Family in Feast and Feria
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JennGM
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I had some old blog posts on this book, including the introductions, which are so delightful to read:
My Favorite Cookbook
Finding An Old Treasure
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Jennifer G. Miller
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JennGM
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Cay Gibson wrote:
| One ? I have is where did the author get all her knowledge and research? The book was first published in the 1940's (ie: before the Internet) but, from my excerpt reading, she seems to have a grasp of legends, traditions, folklore as though she had the Internet to turn to. |
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And I'm going to serial post 3 here because I had a tangent thought. While the Internet is such a wealth of information, I always find that I have to go back to the printed word. I can't bank on accuracy from the Internet. It only takes me so far in research.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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MaryM
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Great topic! Isn't liturgical cooking a great way to celebrate the feasts and seasons?! Just wanted to let everyone know that Catholic Cuisine is hosting a series of From Thy Bounty Fairs for the fall feasts. PLEASE join us and send in submissions from your kitchens. More details in this post and directly at the Catholic Cuisine blog.
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Haven't read this book though the discriptions have me "drooling" over it.. 
But thing associated with holidays and tradion have been written about a lot.
I know I read many books, old books about Christmas traditions in different cultures starting when I was still in elementary school.. so no internet. And fictional books would recount them as well. Think of All of a Kind Family. so really I think a lot of the info was out there, available.. perhaps drawing info from one spot and finding a recipe to match from another.
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Matilda
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Since the older version is not available anymore, would it be possible to put the whole book on Google books? Does anyone know how that works? I am thinking about how EWTN has My Nameday available online. Anyone know?
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Matilda wrote:
| Since the older version is not available anymore, would it be possible to put the whole book on Google books? Does anyone know how that works? I am thinking about how EWTN has My Nameday available online. Anyone know? |
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Well, I DO happen to know how EWTN has My Nameday online, as I scanned that and many other books from my library and put them online. At the time it was another place, CRNet, but it was bought by EWTN.
Cooking for Christ was originally included, but the publisher asked for it to be removed, so it wouldn't be possible to put the original online anymore. I'd love to do it, but...
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Jennifer G. Miller
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juststartn
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It *IS* available at abebooks.com. Starting price is over $50, and goes up to $125. A bit steep for my budget...
HOWEVER I am now putting this book on my "please oh please buy me this for Christmas, Honey!" list. LOL
Rachel
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Thanks, Jenn, for doing that, but we understand. I am wondering how hard it would be for me to find a copy. Bet there are not to many here in jolly ole Wales . I have heard so much talk about this book, I do think I need to make an attempt to try and locate a copy ...
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Mackfam
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JennGM wrote:
| While the Internet is such a wealth of information, I always find that I have to go back to the printed word. |
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I do too. Again and again. I just prefer to feel the book in my hands.
Should we...could we start a new thread that discusses some of the must haves and treasures in the liturgical year cookbooks, Jenn? Books that may be oop, or not, but are a wealth of information in terms of their liturgical tradition depth, and that also bring in some of the heritages and traditions within various cultures. I love exploring those and find I have very little to draw from in rekindling those traditions in my home.
This topic is very fascinating to me. I have my Granny's (cajun/french) traditions in the kitchen, but that's it. My husband has an amazing Scottish lineage, but I know nothing of their culinary traditions that focus on the liturgical year. Beyond that, I just find exploring how other cultures celebrated the liturgical year around the table fascinating!
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Jen Mackintosh
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guitarnan
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Funny you should mention Cajun traditions, Jennifer...we saw our favorite Cajun band, L'Angelus, at a local parish festival this weekend, and they talked about how, on their local (Lafayette, LA) TV station they still broadcast the Rosary prayers at 4:45 A.M., first in French and then in English. (I experienced this also in Ireland, where the Angelus was broadcast - with church bells - on TV. I loved it.)
I think our cultural traditions are so, so worth preserving and celebrating, especially when it comes to the liturgical year. I'd love to learn more about resources...great idea!
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Mackfam wrote:
Jenn - What would I look for to find an original??? A published before "x" date? A publisher?
I'd really like to find an original copy of this book. |
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I found a number available in the US here
They are pricey, but they seem to be original publications.
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Jenny in Australia
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Cay Gibson
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Mackfam wrote:
| I just prefer to feel the book in my hands. |
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Me too. Ever so much.
Mackfam wrote:
| ...that also bring in some of the heritages and traditions within various cultures. |
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I just logged onto my local hs groups eloop and was disappointed to see that in the Louisiana state study I'm teaching at our co-op this year, most of the parents said they feel their children are already exposed enough to the culture and food. They'd rather I focus more on:
Government/Politics
History
Geography
Fundamentals
They are probably right, I have no doubt. My own children get their feel of culture and food on a monthly basis, but I can't help but feel like the "fun" part, the wonderfully creative part, has been yanked out from under me. The above list can be learned in a book. It's the culture and food that makes our heritage and traditions come alive for us.
Without food and culture I'm afraid the children will be bored to  .
I'll think of something...
Mackfam wrote:
I love exploring those and find I have very little to draw from in rekindling those traditions in my home.
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I think that's the most important ingredient...please excuse the pun...simply "doing" it. If we don't revive these traditions within our own homes around our own tables, they will be lost and no book can bring them back.
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Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
wife to Mark '86
mom to 5
Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: Cooking for Christ
