The first U.S. cookbook was published in 1796, and since then, they have provided insight into different times in American history.
Cookbooks tell us what foods were available during the period the books were written. If you see a lot of recipes for things that are preserved for pickles（腌菜）, you know that you 're looking at a time without refrigeration. In the late 1860s, many recipes started paying more attention to food bacteria concerns and healthy-seeming foods, reflecting society 's growing knowledge of both subjects. Cookbooks show that meal planning changed in the 1930s, when refrigerators became more common in American homes.
Early cookbooks were also lifestyle guides. So, there were not only some recipes for food, but recipes for a cleaning solvent（溶剂） or what to do when your child were poisoned, how to clean, and how to get spots out.
Cookbooks became more diversified and regional after the Civil War. Southern writers, and some Northern writers, began publishing cookbooks in an attempt to memorialize, and beautify, the American South. They became very successful and they really helped to develop a sense of what southern hospitality was. Community cookbooks, edited by more than one person, often as a fundraiser or for charity, ultimately provide insight into what middle-class Americans were eating at a given time, as well as a statement about neighborhoods and groups.
Cookbooks, however, sort of stop being a comprehensive reflection of society now. You really have to think about the publishing world and who it is, where it is, and what it wants. The publishing world doesn't necessarily have the goal of representing the truth of Americans because it wants to make money. But publishing's control of the storytelling has loosened. Social media and food blogs have led to the freedom of conversations around food, recipes and cooking, giving consumers more power.
But that doesn't mean that the golden age of cookbooks is over. Cookbooks are still one of the most popular books out there and are purchased regularly. They're very good to give as gifts. They're very, very popular because they 're sort of neutral （中立的）. And everyone loves a cookbook, especially with beautiful pages.
