I first started using primary sources in culinary research in the 1990s when were no online document archives. Now that digitization has opened up access tens of thousands of historical cookbooks are available online in many languages. But there are many, many cookbooks and related documents that only exist in hard copy in archives and research libraries. If you have never done archival research, this might seem intimidating.
When I retired as an archivist, I was working at the Dwight D. Presidential Library were I both worked with collections and guided researchers to material relevant to their research. Now I’ve been spending time doing my own research, both online and in person, at various archives. So I thought I’d bring my familiarity with both sides of the research process to help others take the plunge.
Where Documents Might Be Found
Many museums, libraries, and archives could possibly have menus, manuscript cookbooks, and documents related to food production, cookbooks, restaurants, and other related topics. State or provincial institutions, local historical societies, universities, and businesses and institutions relating to food are all potential sources.
But, and I can’t stress this strong enough, do not just show up on their doorstep and announce that you want to do research. They likely have a small staff and their research rooms may only be open on certain days or for limited hours. And you can’t just assume they have what you are looking for. You’ll need to do a bit of preliminary work
Information on Collections
Archivists, librarians, and museum professionals all have unique methods for organizing and describing their collections. Start by looking for a link titled Research on the web page. This should lead you to a list of their collections, hopefully with links to finding aids or collection descriptions that will provide information about the collections and what kinds of materials they have. There may be a searchable online catalog. Search for key words, like cookbooks or menus.
Sometimes I will click through the links for each collection and look at what is called the Scope and Content Note. This will describe the kinds of materials in the collection. This can yield unexpected results, like this excerpt for the description of the William Francis Dugan Papers.
A Google Advanced Search might be helpful. After the search term type site: and the url of the repository. Here are two examples. The first is a search for cookbook at the Eisenhower Presidential Library. The second a search for menus at the Connecticut Historical Society.
When you find documents or manuscripts that you’d like to see the first step is scheduling a research visit. There may be an online form to ask a question or schedule a research visit. Email is also a good way to contact the archives staff. Be specific. Don’t just ask a general question like, “Do you have any documents related to food?” Provide a collection name, if there are several series in that collection mention the exact series, and give the box or item number mentioned in the finding aid or inventory.
What to do on research trip
After you’ve confirmed your research appointment, be sure to look at the guidelines to in-person research, like these at the Eisenhower Presidential Library. These guidelines are in place to protect the documents, both from damage by careless handling and from theft. They help ensure that the documents will be ready for use for years to come.
Archives can be a wonderful place to find unique things for your food history journey. Happy researching!
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