A journey back in time through 50 retro recipes along with engaging essays about quirky food traditions.

A blend of cookbook and bite-size history, Extra! Extra! Eat All About It! offers a unique glimpse into the culinary landscape of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Fifty recipes selected from Wisconsin newspapers are served alongside brief essays that dig into the stories behind the food trends of the time.

In lively prose, Jane Conway and Randi Julia Ramsden reveal how coconuts and oysters made their way to 1800s Wisconsin, how bakers gauged the temperatures of their wood-burning stoves, and how our predecessors really did slip on banana peels, among other flavorful facts. In addition to capturing quirky food fashions, like breakfast parties and paper-bag cooking, the recipes provide insights into regional cooking traditions.

Each original recipe appears alongside the authors’ easy-to-follow updated version. Mouthwatering modern photographs showcase the revived dishes for the first time in their long history, and newspaper clippings, ads, and illustrations give the book a charming vintage feel. Featuring a variety of recipes, ranging from trendy (Barbecued Ham with Bananas) and tempting (Pickled Walnuts) to traditional (Pumpernickel) and tantalizing (Apple de Luxe), Extra! Extra! Eat All About It! will satisfy the appetites of history lovers and home chefs alike.

For two years, Jane Conway and Randi Julia Ramsden worked together on the National Digital Newspaper Program at the Wisconsin Historical Society. In 2019, they began researching, cooking, and writing for the “Cooking Up History” series, which appeared on the WHS website and social media platforms and provided the inspiration for this book. Conway has a bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of Oregon, and Ramsden has a master’s degree in American studies from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.