Cooking the books | State Library of New South Wales

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Oysters with Panko Breadcrumbs, butter, a little cream and nutmeg; Oysters with sesame-seed oil, soy, native finger limes; Oyster Patties; Plain Oysters; Unshucked oysters. Photo by Joy Lai

Oysters four ways

A recipe from The English and Australian Cookery Book: Cookery for the many, as well as for the upper ten thousand, 1864, by Edward Abbott.

Whipt syllabubs

Whipt syllabubs

A recipe from The Art of Cookery, Made Plain and Easy, 1747, by Hannah Glasse.

Sunderland gingerbread nuts

Sunderland gingerbread nuts

A recipe from The Book of Household Management, 1861, by Isabella Beeton.

Fish pie

Fish pie

A recipe from The Kookaburra Cookery Book, 1911, by the Committee of The Lady Victoria Buxton Girls' Club.

Plates of salad

Salad platters

A 1950s recipe from Australian Women's Weekly Picture Cookery.

Bowls with melon ball cocktail

Melon ball cocktail

A recipe, reproduced in the Australian Women's Weekly Cookery for Parties, 1940s.

Photo of a plate of spring chicken

Spring chicken

A meal for a queen from the Australian Women's Weekly Picture Cookery Book, 1956.

Photo of table set with meringues and tea cups

Strawberry meringue

A recipe submitted Mrs V Walliker of Port Fairy, Victoria to the Australian Women's Weekly in the 1950s.

Choose your own recipe from a cookbook in the collection!

The economic housewife's & beekeeper's guide to cookery / by An experienced Australian cook.

Simpson's book of kitchen magic

The English and Australian cookery book : cookery for the many, as well as for the upper ten thousand / by an Australian aristologist