Wednesday, September 1, 2010

40 Famous Iowans - Fannie Farmer

Fannie Farmer was a famous culinary expert from the mid 1800s through the early 1900s. Her cookbook entitled Boston Cooking-School Cookbook became very popular and widely used at the time. In this cookbook Farmer introduced readers to standardized measuring utensils such as measured spoons and cups. Although Fannie’s family was very devoted to getting education, her hopes of going to college were crushed when at age 16 she suffered a paralytic stroke. For the next several years she did not attend schooling and was dependant on her parents to care for her. It was during this time that she found her love for cooking.

Eventually Farmer turned her mother’s house into a boarding house that soon earned a reputation for the great meals it served. It wasn’t until age 30 that Farmer was able to attend school again, and she attended Boston Cooking School. Up until 1889, she learned about all aspects to cooking and soon mastered the art. After graduating, she took a spot on the school board up until 1902. Later in her life she again lost the ability to walk. In these later years of her life Farmer lectured, wrote and created recipes for everyone to enjoy. To this day, Fannie Farmer is known for her organization and good food. In 1915, Farmer died at age 57 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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