By Becca Eis | Echo
"The Famous Taylor University Bean Salad: A can of red kidney beans, add some mayonnaise dressing, a few sliced hard boiled eggs, a few thinly sliced cucumber pickles."
Never seen it in the Hudson Dining Commons? That's because it's from a Taylor University cookbook of celebrated dishes from 1914.
Amy Spalding, a student from the class of 1916, compiled these recipes and others into a cookbook published by The Yeater Printing Co. in December 1914. Other significant contributors include Mrs. Vayhinger (wife of President Monroe Vayhinger and active participant in the Women's Christian Temperance Union), Mrs. Ayres (wife of Acting President Emeritus Burt Ayres), Iris Abbey (often referred to as Taylor's oldest alumnus), Mrs. B. R. Pogue and Miss Sadie L. Miller (Taylor alumna and published poet).
According to the book's forward, the purpose of collecting and arranging the nearly 300 recipes was not to fundraise.
As stated in the cookbook, "(The book's) main object is to make the many good cooks of Taylor University and vicinity acquainted with each other's best 'specialties.'"
Published a few years before World War I, each paperback book was sold for 25 cents. A holiday edition, bound in a purple and orange colored cover, was sold for 35 cents and created to be given as a Christmas gift.
An ad published in The Echo in 1914 noted several recipes: "Some specially good features are - An eggless, milkless and butterless cake (this recipe sold in Ft. Wayne for 10c a copy); a dessert that will serve a company of thirty people and costing only 60 cents; a substitute for whipped cream; Prof. Zimmerman's famous cereal coffee; how to make maple syrup that can't be told from the real thing, and a host of others."
In addition to recipes, the book also included secondary sections. A section entitled "Aids to the Economy" included tips like "If you heat lemons before squeezing you will get almost double the quantity of juice." The book seemed to be an old-fashioned Pinterest board, with articles like "Five ways to cure a cold," life hacks (referred to as "General Household Hints"), nutrition tips, various quotes that could easily be hung in a kitchen and scripture verses.
