The Cooks and Confectioners Dictionary

Like the authors of many other cookery books of this era, John Nott was a professional cook for members of England’s wealthy aristocratic families. While the alternate title, “The accomplish'd housewives companion,” implies that the work is intended for use by women, the publication of cooking books was a predominantly male pursuit during the early 18th century. While Nott’s writing builds on previous works, even going so far as plagiarizing other authors, this publication contains the first written account of many recipes, including bread pudding and salpicon, a “mixture of finely chopped meat, fish, vegetables, or eggs bound together in a thick sauce.” The dictionary component of Nott’s work seems to be that it is organized alphabetically by individual dish.