Welcome to History in the Kitchen!
I’m Shawna.
I’m a folklorist, historian, and writer with a passion for women’s history. Join me as we journey back to the early 1940s to explore the kitchen life of a home front housewife. We’ll recreate recipes from vintage menus and discuss war time kitchen conveniences and struggles. We’ll delve into rationing and canning, ingredient substitutions and Victory Gardens. We’ll look at the war time government’s role in American kitchens, and American housewives’ role in winning the battle on the home front. Plus, we’ll talk about fun things like entertainment, clothing, and shopping–all from the home front housewife’s point of view.
An American housewife’s world in the early 1940s revolved around her family, food, and kitchen. A lot of time went into meal planning, food preparation, and kitchen clean up. Rationing and shortages added extra challenges. Grocery shopping changed after rationing took effect. Many people turned to gardening and canning to help them through lean times, and these were skills that many people had to learn. Many kitchen tools and appliances weren’t being manufactured anymore due to wartime production restrictions and/or demands placed on factories. We’ll visit all of these topics and more in a fun, light-hearted way.
All recipes will be from sources published in 1940-1945. I’ll use a variety of sources and we’ll chat about why they were important or useful to American women. I also have a collection of vintage glassware, cookware, and related kitchen items that I’ll showcase as we go. Not all of them will be from the war years, but I truly believe that these items should be used and shared.
Thanks for coming along! There’s lots of food and fun ahead and I’m excited you’re here!
History in the Kitchen 