''Vegetable Cookery'' (originally published in 1812 as ''A New System of Vegetable Cookery'') is an early

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

cookbook written anonymously by Martha Brotherton of

Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...

. It is considered the earliest known published cookbook to advocate a meat-free diet. The work was first issued in periodical form and later expanded into book editions. Brotherton and her husband,

Joseph Brotherton Joseph Brotherton (22 May 1783 – 7 January 1857) was an English reforming politician, Bible Christian minister, and a pioneering vegetarian activist. He was Salford's first MP and has been described as the first vegetarian member of parlia ...

, were prominent members of the

Bible Christian Church The Bible Christian Church was a Methodist denomination founded by William O'Bryan (born Bryant), a Wesleyan Methodist local preacher, on 18 October 1815 in North Cornwall. The first society, consisting of just 22 members, met at Lake Farm ...

, a religious group that promoted vegetarianism and abstinence from alcohol. Her husband authored the introduction to the book. ''Vegetable Cookery'' consists of ovo-lacto vegetarian recipes and was intended to support the dietary practices of the church. It was revised and republished in several editions throughout the 19th century and has been recognised as a foundational work in the history of vegetarian literature.

Background

Martha Brotherton () was a member of the

in Salford, a denomination that promoted

vegetarianism Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

and abstinence from alcohol. In 1805, she married

, a fellow church member who later became the church's minister and Salford's first Member of Parliament. As part of her involvement in the church, Martha compiled and anonymously published, in periodical form, ''A New System of Vegetable Cookery'' in 1812. It has been described as the first vegetarian cookbook. Her husband contributed the book's introduction.

Summary

The fourth edition contains over 1,200 recipes and is divided into more than twenty sections. It opens with an introduction promoting the health, moral, and religious benefits of a vegetable-based diet, in line with the beliefs of the Bible Christian Church. The main body of the book includes recipes for soups, omelets, eggs, vegetables, salads, sauces, savoury pies and puddings, cheese-based dishes, sweet puddings, pancakes, tarts, custards,

flummery Flummery is a starch-based, sweet, soft dessert pudding which originated in Great Britain during the early modern period. The word has also been used for other semi-set desserts. History and etymology The name is first known in Gervase Markham's ...

, bread, biscuits, cakes, preserved fruits, pickles, and syrups. It also includes sections on spoon-meats, lemonade and sherbets, and general household tips under "Useful Family Receipts" and an appendix. The recipes are predominantly

lacto-ovo vegetarian Lacto-ovo vegetarianism or ovo-lacto vegetarianism is a type of vegetarianism which forbids animal flesh but allows the consumption of animal products such as dairy product, dairy and Egg as food, eggs. Unlike pescetarianism, it does not include ...

, often using ingredients such as butter, eggs, and cream, and are tailored to the dietary principles of the Bible Christian Church. Instructions cover both simple and elaborate preparations, often adapted from traditional English dishes but omitting meat and alcohol. The book includes a variety of soups (e.g. pea, spinach, onion, celery, lentil), stews, gratins, and fried dishes using a wide range of vegetables such as cucumbers, turnips, mushrooms, red cabbage, and artichokes.

Legacy

Historians have noted that Brotherton's work influenced early vegetarian communities beyond Britain. According to Laura J. Miller and Emilie Hardman, the book "served as a guide for Americans who began to self-identify as vegetarian in the early decades of the nineteenth century". Kathryn Gleadle has described the book as "enormously important to the movement, forming the basis of most subsequent works on vegetable cookery".

Publication history

The book was first published anonymously in periodical form in 1812 under the title ''A New System of Vegetable Cookery'', attributed to "a member of the Bible Christian Church". A second edition appeared in 1821, followed by a third edition published by Horatio Phillips of London in 1829 under its best-known title, ''Vegetable Cookery''. The fourth edition was issued in 1833 by

Effingham Wilson Effingham William Wilson (28 September 1785 – 9 June 1868) was a 19th-century English political radicalism, radical publisher and bookseller. His main interests were in economics and politics, but he also published poetry. Early life Wil ...

and expanded to include 1,261 recipes. It was also published anonymously, credited only to "a lady". Two further editions appeared in 1839 and 1852. The 1852 edition includes a foreword by James Simpson, the first president of the

Vegetarian Society The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom (VSUK) is a British Registered charity in England, registered charity. It campaigns for dietary changes, licenses Vegetarian Society Approved trademarks for Vegetarianism, vegetarian and Veganism, v ...

References

External links