American cookery

by Amelia Simmons

This is a significant publication, being the first cookbook written by an American, and also published in the United States. It used foods native to America, and terms in use by early Americans. It was widely copied and plagiarized in its day, a common practice prevalent in early cookery books, with the book remaining popular through the early years of the 19th century. There were at least a dozen editions or printings between 1796 and 1831.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?