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Recettes et alimentation

Collection

Recipes and Food
Date [1749-2000]
Dimensions489.1 cm of textual records. - 2 objects
Object NumberC265
CollectionMcCord
Scope and Content

This collection chronicles the history of food consumption, eating habits and social norms surrounding meals, as well as providing information about the food industry, food processing, packaging, advertising, and the development and promotion of new food trends. The documents help paint a portrait of Canadian domestic life, primarily from the 1910s to the 1980s, by addressing themes like nutrition, the role of women in the family home, the economy and etiquette.

The collection includes nearly 1,000 cookbooks and recipe booklets, most of them promotional in nature, produced between the mid-18th and early 21st centuries. The majority of these documents were either published in Canada or feature products widely consumed by Canadians.

Numerous recipe booklets promote specific food products. Unlike cookbooks, these booklets were published primarily by private companies to showcase their products, such as Robin Hood and Monarch flours, Campbell soups, Reynolds aluminum foil, Carnation evaporated milk, Catelli pasta and Magic baking powder. Several booklets were also published by governments and various producer associations with the aim of encouraging the consumption of foodstuffs like beef, poultry, fish, dairy products, fruits and vegetables. Finally, some of the works in this collection spotlight individuals -- real or fictional -- who have since become famous, like Jehane Benoît and Marie Fraser. These booklets were sometimes distributed free of charge, or else sold very cheaply, which explains their popularity.

There are also several scrapbooks, notebooks and personal journals containing various tips and recipes. These documents provide a more intimate look at culinary practices and how they were transmitted from one generation to the next.


Classification Scheme

C265 Recipes and Food
     C265/A Handwritten Recipes and Scrapbooks
     C265/B Printed Matter
          C265/B1 Food product manufacturers
          C265/B2 Household appliance and kitchenware manufacturers
          C265/B3 Government departments, public organizations and producer associations
               C265/B3.1 Canada
                    C265/B3.1,1 Baking Association of Canada
                    C265/B3.1,2 Dairy Bureau of Canada
                    C265/B3.1,3 Beef Information Centre
                    C265/B3.1,4 Canada Food Board
                    C265/B3.1,5 Environment Canada
                    C265/B3.1,6 Dairy Farmers of Canada
                    C265/B3.1,7 Department of Agriculture
                    C265/B3.1,8 Department of Trade and Commerce
                    C265/B3.1,9 Department of Fisheries/Fisheries and Oceans Canada
                    C265/B3.1,10 Department of National Health and Welfare
                    C265/B3.1,11 Canadian Egg Marketing Agency
                    C265/B3.1,12 Miscellaneous

               C265/B3.2 Québec
                    C265/B3.2,1 Commission des liqueurs de Québec/Société des alcools du Québec
                    C265/B3.2,2 Conseil pour la promotion et l’exportation du porc québécois (PROMEX)
                    C265/B3.2,3 Fédération des producteurs de lait du Québec
                    C265/B3.2,4 Fédération des producteurs d’œufs de consommation du Québec
                    C265/B3.2,5 Fédération des producteurs de volailles du Québec
                    C265/B3.2,6 Groupe Becdor
                    C265/B3.2,7 Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec
                    C265/B3.2,8 Ministère de la Voirie/Ministère des Transports
                    C265/B3.2,9 Divers
               C265/B3.3 Others
                    C265/B3.3,1 Health Service of the Federated Agencies of Montreal
          C265/B4 Schools
          C265/B5 Social groups and religious associations
          C265/B6 Newspapers and media
          C265/B7 Merchants and retailers
          C265/B8 Insurance companies
          C265/B9 Other


Notes

Variations in title: Formerly known as Recipes, Cooking and Food Collection.

Source of title proper: Based on contents of the collection.

Physical description: Contains 1 apron and 1 fabric bag.

Physical condition: Some documents are fragile and/or tattered.

Immediate source of acquisition: The documents in this collection are from various sources. The majority came from donations by numerous collectors, including Joyce Billing, René Villeneuve and George R. MacLaren.

Arrangement: Several recipe booklets found in the Corley-Murchinson (C340), Louise T. Gillespie (C535), Victoria Dickenson (C564) and Trina Vineberg Berenson (C593) collections were added to this collection in 2016.

Language: The documents are in English and French. Some works are bilingual.

Accruals: Further accruals are expected. However, since the collection is relatively large, any future acquisitions will focus on specific themes.

Related groups of records: Other McCord Museum fonds and collections contain food-related books and booklets, including the McCord Family (P001) and Bagg Family (P070) fonds.

 

Last update: August 30, 2017


Information about the objects in our collection is updated to reflect new research findings. If you have any information to share regarding this object, please email reference.mccord@mccord-stewart.ca.

Information about rights and reproductions is available here.

Online Collections | McCord Museum - Montreal Social History Museum
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1943
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Dutch Oven. A Cook Book of coveted, traditional Recipes from the Kitchens of Lunenburg
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Progress-Enterprise Co., Ltd
1953
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Traditional Canadian recipes
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About 1950
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7-Up goes to a party! Recipes for : barbecues, guest dinners, open houses, holiday events
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The Seven-Up Company
1961
M2000.92.15
Betty Brights kitchen recipes
Betty Brights kitchen recipes
Consumers' Gas Company
About 1955
M2000.92.21
Dominion Maid recipes
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Canada & Dominion Sugar Company Limited
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This project is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Azrieli Foundation and Canadian Heritage.