Primary Source Study - Essay Example

?aPrimary source Primary source is an inside information linked to history or past of any material or human. It describes the origin and the initial development of any source. The terminology is used in several connotations, which describes the information, factors and elements around any source. Historians all over the world searched for primary sources for their various discoveries. Key factors that includes primary source, after research some how solves complicated mysteries. Even in the olden times people tried their best to preserve primary sources for the upcoming generations to be aware of their origins and importance. This is and was considered as the most important job to document the origin of any source. The information collected after or at the time of any origin of source is likely to be called as primary source. These sources are valuable and considered unique as well. The numerous copies or created from the primary source material, is known as secondary source. Secondary sources are directly linked to the primary source though it can be of the same use but does not hold the significant historical importance as of primary source.(Hamilton,2005) To secure any evidence of whereabouts of a source one needs to use primary source for example; diaries, letters, photographs, interviews, maps, newspapers, stories, art and through video and sound clips. . Though different platforms were used previously to it but its easy access, bulk ness and sameness were the qualities which increased awareness in any society. Books are read all over the world. The awareness about food mainly increased due to it as the people living in isolated and farfetched areas received the researched and fact based proven facts of the benefits and drawbacks of many edibles. If we time travel a bit the main source to spread first hand discovered facts by scientist, is the peculiar form of articles which link themselves to highly knowledgeable people to illiterate localities. “The complete housewife or Accomplished Gentlewomen’s companion” is a cookery book written in eighteenth century by the author Eliza Smith. Originally published in 1727. It is not just a cook book from the history but also contains various medicinal prescriptions and home remedies handy in the case of any emergency and works as the first aid. The book was written clearly as its name indicate to provide assistance to the women of that time to improve their efficiency in cooking and making them competent and a complete gentlewomen because cooking was very essential and fundamental skill required by fine ladies of that time. bFixing a meal today is very simple these days but in colonial time’s it was an hours long affair until there was enough light to see in the kitchens and without any refrigeration all meals have to be cooked and seasoned in the same day(Heyes,2009) Eliza tried to show her confidence in cooking and food and every ones attitudes towards it in this book which is considered as the first cook book to be published in America. It contains collection of several hundred receipts of pastries, confectionaries, pickles, preserving meat, cakes, jellies, wines added with hundred of receipts of home remedies for minor ailments including syrups, ointments, elixirs etc. Through the book Eliza conveyed her own lives experience and knowledge to the other women of the society. Women are known to reveal their life’s stories through their receipes of food cleaning or medicinal remedies; it is the way of their communication. cMrs. Smith worked as a cook in upper class household and that is why she knew a lot about cooking and serving. She also criticized the male cook book writers and claimed that they hold their recepies secret from the rest of the public and stressed upon her female audience her past experiences in that regard.d In contrast to other cook book writers her work is much more competent unlike other amateurish writers whose work fail to show citations to quoted information (Allen,1999) .As it is considered as the first cook books it definitely had its flaws and the other cookbooks of that time were far easier to be interpreted or acted upon but Eliza’s fine cooking could not be discredited by the way the receipes were told. After these publications of the cook book cooking schools were established and cook books were also used to raise the funds and that gave the food and its cooking, the status of a skill in which every women should be efficient although cooking should not be placed on the shoulders of women as all the other responsibilities(Grewall,2006) Men take equal interest in such skills these days and are very efficient in cooking and are much appreciated like women. Due to technology and advancement in various fields research about health food has found its ultimate state. People want to know and they are being informed on merits and demerits of various food product. Some time back, people forgot the taste and turned their backs on home made cooking or confectionaries were also not much preferred by the ladies due to their weight issues etc it was not on the preferable list of the advance and fast running society as the market was full of alternatives as frozen or preserved food items with less calories but as people realized the and print media focused on recipes and the nutritious factors they involve, home made food and preference to confectionary and cakes got back to its main stream position. For an instance wheat finds its origins in the history and still is being used as a key element to any food product though the usage has changed but the outcome and results are still the same. eWheat flour is used in various forms from olden time in all the confectionaries, cakes and cookery item use wheat in one way or the other so are all the other nutritious factors are present in these food items and fulfill the energy requirements of our body. (Contento,2007) In olden times when usage of books especially recipe books weren’t common, tell tale recipes used to circulate around. As print media got into its full bloom, more access prevailed and exchange of ideas became the fashion. None of the nations can take the credit of any invention of meal as it did occur in a slight different form in any other country. There are cook books present in every country according to their own tradition and culture. However cookbooks have not remained just inside the kitchen they give us an idea about the technological, sociological, religious and scientific aspects of the time. For this paper we focus on cakes as evidence from the primary source cook book. fIf we look at the medieval cook books they don’t give us the clear idea about the kind of food eaten at that time and they were compiled by the elite of the society so they didn’t comment on the food taken by lower class. (Adamson,2004). In the first cook book of America cakes, confectionaries and hundred’s of other receipts were provided although it does not mean that they were made by Eliza Smith for the very first time but she definitely made the art of making cakes etc a common knowledge for example pancakes connect their history and original to a documented source that is Rome, they were called “Alita Docia”, which means another sweet. Pan cakes were eaten and carry many forms and varieties. They used potatoes, cornmeal and meat to give it variation. Cakes contain almost the same ingredient put the procedure is different defined completely in Eliza smith’s “The complete housewife” with the passage of time ingredients were continuously changed but the basic ingredients and method of preparation remains the same. Cakes also gained popularity and were associated to special occasions during the medieval times. gThe gourmet items contain almost the same ingredients such as eggs, wheat flour or corn flour, milk or butter and sweet to enhance taste but the quantity and way to produce it held the real magic of creation.(Appel,2011) Cakes, confectionaries, pancakes, cookies, Swiss roles and many more all enjoy the same main ingredient wheat. However, the fame and fortune which different forms of cakes have enjoyed in the dessert delight none can withhold and sustain any position close to it. All of these items and the ingredients used in it covers almost all of the nutritive factors of human body. Bibliography Grewal, Inderpal, and Caren Kaplan. 2006. An introduction to women's studies: gender in a transnational world. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Top of Form Hamilton, John. 2005. Primary and secondary sources. Edina, Minn: ABDO Pub. Bottom of Form Bottom of Form .Contento, Isobel R. 2007. Nutrition education: linking research, theory, and practice. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Appel, Jennifer, and Allysa Torey. 2011. The Magnolia Bakery cookbook: old fashioned recipes from New York's sweetest bakery. London: Simon & Schuster. Hayes, Dayle, and Rachel Laudan. 2009. Food and nutrition / editorial advisers, Dayle Hayes, Rachel Laudan. New York: Marshall Cavendish Reference. Adamson, Melitta Weiss. 2004. Food in medieval times. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. Allen, Gary. 1999. Resource guide for food writers. New York: Routledge. Top of Form Appel, Jennifer, and Allysa Torey. 2011. The Magnolia Bakery cookbook: old fashioned recipes from New York's sweetest bakery. London: Simon & Schuster. Appel, Jennifer, and Allysa Torey. 2011. The Magnolia Bakery cookbook: old fashioned recipes from New York's sweetest bakery. London: Simon & Schuster. Appel, Jennifer, and Allysa Torey. 2011. The Magnolia Bakery cookbook: old fashioned recipes from New York's sweetest bakery. London: Simon & Schuster. Appel, Jennifer, and Allysa Torey. 2011. The Magnolia Bakery cookbook: old fashioned recipes from New York's sweetest bakery. London: Simon & Schuster. Bottom of Form Read More