Ella Ervilla Kellogg, better known as Mrs. E.E. Kellogg, A.M. was a 19th century innovator in the science of cookery, how to cook properly, and most importantly, she recognized and taught the important role that palatable and nutritious cooking plays in leading a happy life. She ran an experimental kitchen and supervised the daily cooking requirements for 500-700 inmates in Battle Creek, Michigan’s sanitarium and hospital. Our favorite Mrs. Kellogg quote so far:
“One of the evils of unwholesome food is its decided tendency to create a craving for intoxicants. Bad cookery causes indigestion, indigestion causes thirst, and thirst perpetuates drunkenness.”
Mrs. Kellogg mastered her passion for cookery well before the “food-to-table” movement was even a glimmer in anyone’s eye. Her titles included: Superintendent of the Sanitarium School of Cookery and of the Bay View Assembly School of Cookery, and Chairman of the World’s Fair Committee on Food Supplies, for Michigan. We are delighted to offer excerpts from her 1893 book, The Science of Food. We are delighted that the Michigan State Universities Libraries offered this text in the public domain.
From the book’s preface:
A little less than ten years ago the Sanitarium at Battle Creek Mich., established an experimental kitchen and a school of cookery under the supervision of Mrs. Dr. Kellogg, since which time, researches in the various lines of cookery and dietetics have been in constant progress in the experimental kitchen, and regular sessions of the school of cookery have been held. The school has gradually gained in popularity, and the demand for instruction has become so great that classes are in session during almost the entire year.
Bon appetit!