By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

When I graduated from college and moved into my first adult apartment, I decided that I needed to buy some very important things. Those who know me won’t be surprised that meant books. For example, among my first two purchases were “The Reader’s Encyclopedia” (which contains information about books and authors from ancient to contemporary times) and a book containing the plots of major operas. (When I could hear normally, I was a huge theater fan and that included opera.) Readers need to remember that this was way before the Internet, so these were very important reference books. The one other book I remember buying was my very own copy of “The Settlement Cookbook.”
I say my own copy because my mother owned an earlier version. Although our two books looked very different, they contain the same basic material. The advantage of the book was that it not only contained recipes, but gave general directions on how to cook almost any kind of food. Just want to roast a chicken or cook a piece of fish? It would tell you what to do. Want a fancy recipe to impress a friend? It had that also. However, it was the simple advice that appealed to me. By that point in time, I was already on medically restricted diets and there were few cookbooks that had recipes I could use. This book was actually helpful.
What I didn’t realize was that “The Settlement Cookbook” had a Jewish connection. The Settlement Movement sought to help immigrant women – Jewish and non-Jewish – become more American. Jews played a major role in the movement, both those who financially supported it and those who worked helping immigrants adjust. It’s important to note, though, that the cookbook is not a kosher cookbook: it contains recipes for pork and shellfish.
One major difference between the white-covered version my mother used (which still sits on a shelf in the kitchen) and the larger, yellow-mustard covered version I bought (that’s hidden somewhere in the house) is what was no longer printed on the cover. Displayed on my mother’s book are the words, “The way to a man’s heart.” By the time I bought my version, the feminist movement was a large influence and that phrase had disappeared.
I rarely review cookbooks for The Reporter unless they contain a great deal of information beyond the recipes. It only seems fair to actually make some of the dishes before commenting on a book. Since I still can rarely follow a complete recipe for health reasons, that severely limits me. It’s also a reason why I still think fondly of the book that helped me learn to cook around those restrictions.
“The Settlement Cookbook” seems to be out of print now, although I found copies on used book sites of the many different revised versions. Now when I want to learn to do something, I usually turn to the internet for advice and/or recipes. There is still, however, something wonderful about a book that influenced generations of American women and taught them how to cook.