Victorian Cookbooks Were Stuffed with Costumed Roosters and Sphinx Cakes

The Encyclopedia of Practical Cookery (1890s) was ambitious–”a complete dictionary of all pertaining to the art of cookery and table service" with lavish illustrations. Some are merely demonstrative–different types of cheeses or decorations for “picnic cakes.” Others show more elaborate decorations that clearly fall outside the realm of “practical cookery”: a centerpiece of seafood crowned with King Neptune, trident aloft, or a plaster rooster wearing a pince-nez and a hat.
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