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Michigan State University

Cookbooks and Food History: International cookbooks

Cookbooks are a valuable resource for studying social history, ethnic traditions, folk medicine, and gender studies - and of course, culinary history!

International cookbooks at MSU

Book cover Ethiopic language cookbook

Book cover O pao na mesa brasileira

Book cover Kenya Kitchen

Book cover Kartoffel 200 kostiliche rezepte

Book cover Primicias de cocina Peruana

Finding international cookbooks at MSU

We have cookbooks from all over the world in MSU Special Collections. Africa, Latin and South America, and the Caribbean have the best representation. These international cookbooks can provide an insider perspective on the cooking of a country or region.

Our catalog does not provide an easy way to limit your search to books published in a specific country. However, the search methods shown here will help filter your search so that most of the results, if not all, are what you want.

International cookbooks in English

To find cookbooks published outside the United States, but in countries where English is a primary language, do a keyword search for "cooking" and the name of the country:

  • Cooking and Canada
  • Cooking and Ireland
  • Cooking and New Zealand

Remember, this may not filter your results perfectly. You'll still need to check the place of publication for each volume.

International cookbooks in languages other than English

The most effective way to find cookbooks from countries where the language is other than English is to use the Advanced Keyword search page in the library catalog.

  • To find cookbooks use Cooking as a search term.
  • Add the name of the country you're interested in. That will retrieve cookbooks about the cooking in that geographic area.
  • Limit to the language spoken in the country you're interested in. Excluding English will help filter out books written by authors outside that country or region.

Remember, this may not filter your results perfectly. You'll still need to check the place of publication for each volume.

 

Screenshot Advanced Keyword Search