By Christine Salins.
In these days of celebrity chefs and glossy cookbooks, it’s easy to forget that there was a time when the cookbooks most commonly found in Australian kitchens were humble little books with recipes for dishes that people had been cooking at home for decades.
Often these were community cookbooks, put together by anonymous people, all in the name of helping others. Community cookbooks have raised millions of dollars for Australian charities and causes, ranging from cash-strapped local schools and churches to international movements like Variety and the Red Cross.
Some of these books, like the iconic PWMU Cookbook from Victoria, the Green and Gold Cookery Book in South Australia, and the CWA Cookery Book are still in print and much used today.
Others were very humble publications, often produced on Gestetner machines and stapled together by volunteers. “There seems to be so much heart in these modest books,” says Liz Harfull, a full-time writer and keen amateur cook who has made it her mission to seek out the stories behind these charming snapshots of time.
Harfull looked at nearly a thousand community cookbooks before whittling them down to the 60 featured in Tried, Tested and True: treasured recipes and untold stories from Australian community cookbooks (Allen & Unwin, $39.99).
“My focus was cookbooks produced to raise money for worthy causes, covering a period of about 100 years, starting in the 1890s. People knew the recipes would be reliable because they were usually donated by people with a reputation for being excellent home cooks, and their names were printed underneath,” she said.
“And the focus was usually on producing something tasty with a modest list of economical ingredients, that were ready to hand. Almost every book mentions somewhere in an introduction or sub-title, one of three words – tried, tested and true.”
Harfull did a huge amount of research (and gives a shout-out to the National Library’s Trove) to bring to light previously untold stories about the books and the people who created them.
The stories are accompanied by rare photos, vintage advertisements and recipes ranging from surprising twists on English trifle and golden syrup dumplings to forgotten recipes for oatmeal hermits and treacle scones; a layered chocolate cake with the tick of Royal approval; soups and savoury dishes, and preserves to make the most of bountiful produce from home gardens.
Harfull, who lives in the Adelaide Hills and still occasionally finds time to bake scones and make jam, is passionate about telling the stories of everyday people. Her first book, The Blue Ribbon Cookbook, published in 2008, captured the stories and traditions of South Australian country shows and show cooks, and became a surprise bestseller.
Tried, Tested and True is on its way to success as well, having been named among the “Best in the World” in the prestigious 2019 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. The awards attract thousands of entries from more than 200 countries. Tried, Tested and True won third prize in the Culinary Heritage category.
The recipe here comes from the Swedish section of a 1941 book, Pot Luck: a patriotic party book, produced by Alan McCulloch, a prominent figure in Melbourne’s art world, and Mary Lundqvist. In 1934, Mary sailed to Cairo to marry Ragner Lundqvist, the Swedish vice consul in Egypt, who died only 18 months later.
In Pot Luck, Mary writes about visiting Sweden and her experiences attending a smorgasbord party. Among the hors d’oeuvres she suggests is skinklada, a kind of baked omelette. Smoked salmon or anchovies could be used as an alternative to ham or bacon.
I’ve selected Mary’s recipe partly because it reflects the multicultural melting pot that is Australia – timely with Australia Day coming up – but also because it would be an easy dish to bring to an Australia Day picnic.
Tried, Tested and True also has a delicious recipe for Rum and Coffee Pavlova, a delicious twist on the favourite Australia Day pav.
Skinklada
Serves 1
60 g good-quality ham or bacon, diced
2 eggs
250 ml (1 cup) full cream milk
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to moderate (180°C). Grease a 23 cm pie dish. Scatter the ham or bacon over the bottom of the dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the mixture over the bacon and cook for 30 minutes, until set. Serve for breakfast, or with a green salad for lunch.
Tried, Tested and True: treasured recipes and untold stories from Australian community cookbooks, by Liz Harfull, published by Allen & Unwin.
