Description
Although most Americans have heard of sugar plums thanks to the famous holiday poem A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore, many have likely never have had the pleasure of tasting one of these luxuries, or even know what they really are (hint: they are not sugar-dusted plums). This is because sugar plums are one of the Gilded Age era holiday sweets that got eclipsed as America moved into the twentieth century. But The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook will bridge the past and present, bringing back sugar plums and other confections not typically found in modern cookbooks, while revisiting some beloved favorites.
With origins that date back to the nineteenth century and even earlier, the recipes in The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook have been adapted for today’s ingredients and appliances, allowing cooks to recreate them in their own modern kitchens. Each recipe will provide a colorful glimpse into the era, featuring the fascinating history behind each cookie, its ingredients and baking methods. There will also be sidebars throughout, offering tidbits of Christmas lore of the era.
A perfect gift to bring sparkle to the holiday season for anyone who enjoys food, history, culture and Christmas traditions, The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook is a unique way to revitalize any baker’s holiday repertoire while looking to past foodways for inspiration. With all the opulence and enchanting allure of the Victorian period, this nostalgic book is chock-full of delicious holiday treats.
My Thoughts
The author has done an admirable job of culling interesting, sometimes esoteric, facts about Christmas from an amazing array of sources and turning that dry history into a readable, very entertaining exposition of holiday traditions of the Gilded Age.
Digging deep into the roots of many of our current holiday traditions and giving the origin stories new life with short, well-crafted paragraphs complemented by lovely illustrations, The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook is an absolute delight to read. I especially enjoyed the section on games and may use some of the old time games in modified versions for the always-dreaded ice-breaker games in the business world!
However, I think I’ll leave Snapdragon to history. What a time it was when children were allowed to play that game!
Also notable is the inclusion of Black Christmas traditions such as the work by the Ida B. Wells Women’s Club and the Christmas balls held by Philadelphia’s Crescent Club. Also included are Jewish Hanukkah traditions that were practiced during the Gilded Age, along with the recipes for things like sufganiyot.
While the recipes and their backstories are interesting and well-adapted for 21st century cooking, I didn’t find anything new, but I am an avid reader of Christmas recipes, so someone who is relatively new to Christmas cooking and baking will surely find many recipes that will become family favorites.
The lore appears to be well-researched and is presented in an interesting manner.
Publication Date: August 5, 2025
Published By: Globe Pequot
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy
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