[Sca-cooks] Traveling Dysshes

[Bronwynmgn at aol.com]

In a message dated 12/25/2003 4:22:14 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
janmcewen at juno.com writes:

<<A friend asked me if I was familiar with the cookbook "Traveling
Dysshes".  I've heard of it, but that is all that I can remember.  She is
very interested in authentic period cooking and was thinking of adding it
to her collection.  She told me that Amazon says that the book contains
original period recipes and redactions.  She was wondering if it is any
good, and what period cookbooks it draws from (she doesn't want to
duplicate if she already has the recipes in her collection).  Can anyone
help with this?  >>

I own both editions.  While the second is somewhat improved over the first 
(unattributed, "might be period" recipes relegated to a separate indicated 
chapter, for instance), I'm not thrilled with either of them.
These basically appear to be the "church cookbook" school of cookbook writing 
- ie, collect recipes that my friends like or use frequently and publish 
them.  As such, they come from a variety of sources, and with the second edition 
the author was unable to find any source for some of the ones from the first 
edition.  Equally, the quality of the redactions varies immensely.  Most are not 
very good. 
I'm sorry it's marketed as an easy source for newcomers who want to bring 
period stuff with them, because it's not a good example of the genre.

Brangwayna