German National Cookery for American Kitchens

The first edition of Henriette Davidis' classic cookbook "Praktisches Kochbuch für die gewöhnliche und feinere Küche" (Practical Cookbook for the ordinary and refined Cuisine) was published in 1844 and there were at least seventy-six editions published by 1963. The first foreign edition appeared in 1879 in the United States, for Germans living in Milwaukee, Wisc. This edition was adapted for American kitchens. It contains many ordinary and exotic dishes, from soups to sausages (innumerable are the soups of German origin). Also look up Sauerbraten, a favorite German dish everywhere. As to puddings and pastries, the Germans make many varieties, all of them good. There are also many good methods for dressing, preparing and preserving game, which will be of interest to hunters.


The book contains a comprehensive collection of recipes that Henriette Davidis not only collected, but also tested and modified herself. Each chapter begins with basic rules for the preparation of the respective food. 


Frau Davidis' Praktisches Kochbuch became the reference cookbook of the late 19th and early 20th century, a standard in German households. The large number of second-hand copies still available, frequently heavily annotated, are proof that the books were in much use. In many families Praktisches Kochbuch was handed down through the generations. She is generally considered to be the German equivalent to Fannie Farmer. 


Davidis was born in Westfalen, Wengern on the Ruhr river, today a part of the town of Wetter (Ruhr), as the tenth of thirteen children of the vicar Ernst Heinrich Davidis and his Dutch wife Maria Katharina Litthauer.


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