"Although there is no biography available for author Philomelia Ann Maria Antoinette Hardin, the subtitle of her book, "But More Particularly Designed for Buckeyes [Ohio], Hoosiers [Indiana], Wolverines [Michigan], Corncrackers [Kentucky], Suckers [Illinois], and All Epicures Who Wish to Live with the Present Times," beautifully demonstrates the down-to-earth, local quality of this regional Midwestern cookbook-reputedly the first cookbook printed west of the Allegheny Mountains. In the mid-nineteenth century, many cookbook writers emphasized the practicality of local ingredients and culinary techniques since the isolation of communities and poor transportation made it difficult to cook with East Coast or European recipes

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