Good Things To Eat, As Suggested By Rufus; A Collection Of Practical Recipes For Preparing Meats, Game, Fowl, Fish, Puddings, Pastries, Etc.
By Rufus Estes...
Chicago, The Author [c1911].

This volume is the fourth of the five major works by African Americans we have selected to represent their contributions to American cookery.

See also

• Roberts, The House Servant's Directory (1827)
• Campbell, Hotel Keepers, Head Waiters, and Housekeepers' Guide (1848)
• What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking (1881)
• Bullock, The Ideal Bartender (1917)

As the earlier Roberts (1827) and Campbell (1848) books represent one important aspect of the role of African Americans in the food professions, this volume equally represents another. For most of his working life Rufus Estes was one of the now legendary Private Car Attendants of the Pullman Company. In this book, he presents a brief sketch of his life from his birth as a slave in 1857 in Tennessee to his professional work with the Pullman Company and as a chef.

In his forward, the author tells us "that the recipes given on the following pages represent the labor of years." He goes on to explain that "their worth has been demonstrated, not experimentally, but by actual tests, day by day and month by month, under dissimilar, and, in many instances, not too favorable conditions."

And what recipes follow! Ranging from Apple Slump to Walnut Loaf, they include, among numerous others: Sheep's Brains with Small Onions, Sheep's Kidneys, Broiled, and Sheep's Tongues; Candied Violets, Southern Corncakes, Coffee Cup Custard, Roasted Canvasback Duck, Kedgeree, Rolled Rib Roast, and Scotch Snipe. They also include ten Souffle recipes, including those for corn, Guernsey cheese, tapioca and tomato; and five kinds of Sherbet - Cranberry, Currant, Lemon, Lemon Ginger and Tea.

This book has been little known as few original copies are available. In addition to its placement here, it was issued in reprint in 1999, thus making it available to all students.