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Havana History & Heritage Society offers a chance to own historic Gadsden County cookbook

Recipes have a way of bringing people together – families cherish the recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation, and the old cooks of the family relentlessly guard the recipes that have won them praise in the family for their acclaimed dishes.

A recipe is something that makes a meal in more ways than one.

The Havana History & Heritage Society is offering Gadsden County residents an opportunity to own a piece of authentic (and delicious) local history, with the reproduction and sale of an old, once-lost 1939 Havana Cookbook.

The cookbook was originally produced by the Parent Teacher Association at Havana High School in 1939, and contains several locally-contributed recipes from that time.

The original cookbook, donated to the history society by Havana resident Marjorie Morgan, has seen much wear and tear in its 80-plus years of use, but in order to keep the heritage of the cookbook and its contributing 1939 cooks alive, the society will be reproducing the cookbook and offer re-prints for sale.

“It was my mom’s cook book and she often used it,” said Morgan, who was only four when the book was originally printed. “It has many good recipes written by people with old Havana names. It’s like a time wrap when you read it.”  

The History & Heritage Society says the book contains recipes that were contributed by teachers, students, and others in the Havana community.

Each reproduction of the cookbook will be sold for $10; the books are available for purchase and pickup at the Shade Tobacco Museum, located at 204 2nd Street, in downtown Havana.

A limited quantity of the reproductions will be printed initially, but if the society receives enough interest, they will produce a second printing of the cookbooks.

Ashley Hunter – editor@prioritynews.net