Which 1866 cookbook by Malinda Russell is considered the first published cookbook by an African American woman?

Malinda Russell’s 1866 cookbook is titled A Domestic Cook Book.

Russell was a formerly enslaved African American woman from Virginia who later worked as a cook and pastry maker in Michigan. She published the book in Paw Paw, Michigan, presenting recipes for cakes, pies, preserves, breads, meats, and other household foods.

The book is especially important because it is widely recognized as the first cookbook published by an African American woman. It predates Abby Fisher’s famous 1881 cookbook by 15 years, although Fisher’s book is often more widely discussed because it survives in a better-known edition.

A Domestic Cook Book was rediscovered by food historians in the 21st century. Its recipes show professional culinary knowledge and also document the economic independence Russell sought through cooking. It is a historical cookbook, not a modern soul-food recipe collection, but it is a key source for African American foodways.