There is no single search term you can use to pull up all of the food- and cooking-related materials at the Schlesinger at once, but there are a few useful searches you can use to browse the collections.
One key way to search is by using form/genre keywords:
The subject terms that you use are also important. Materials are described by catalogers using controlled vocabularies, i.e. a set of specific, standardized terms. The language of the subject headings might be slightly different from the way you'd normally describe a topic. Finding the controlled term that connects to your topic can help ensure that you pull up as many relevant resources as possible. Subject headings to search in a culinary history/food studies context might include names of ingredients (berries, cinnamon, goat meat, rice flour); pieces of equipment (clay pot cooking, microwave cooking, smart cookers); types of dishes (bibimbap, fruit salads, matzo balls, strudel), or diet (egg-free diet, macrobiotic diet, vegan cooking). You can also try the term Cooking combined with the country or area that you're interested in, i.e. Cooking, Barbadian; Cooking, French-Canadian; or Cooking, Nepali.
Looking for secondary sources like reference material, critical scholarship, or food history studies? Here are some search terms that might be useful:
Food industry and trade--History
When you find the materials that you want to use, check out our guide to Requesting Materials from Schlesinger Library for all the information you'll need about creating a HOLLIS Special Request account, submitting requests, and planning a visit.
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Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, Harvard Radcliffe Institute
3 James St. | Cambridge, MA 02138 | 617-495-8540
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