Recipes are a set of instructions for preparing a particular dish, including a list of the ingredients required. They have been written for many centuries for food dishes, as well as cosmetics and medicinal cures. The compilation of recipes into cookbooks and recipe books became popular in 17th century English homes when England’s literacy rate among women improved. The modern recipe book format was established in 1845 by Elizabeth Acton and her book for domestic cooks called Modern Cookery for Private Families.

“Essential Ingredients: Cookbooks as History” was an exhibit hosted by Thompson Library on the campus of Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. The exhibit was created by Jolie Braun, curator of Modern Literature and Manuscripts, and ran from August 20, 2024-January 5, 2025. For the exhibit, materials from the Rare Books & Manuscripts Library’s collection were used and covered over more than 200 years of American cookbooks and cookbook history. As part of the exhibit, attendees were were asked to write on notecards what their favorite recipe or dish entailed. The exhibit was also shown at the Decrative Arts Center of Ohio in Lancaster, Ohio in 2025.