State Library of Queensland > Collections > Food

FOOD AND COOKERY

Family picnic in the Queensland bush, 1900 - 1910

Family Picnic in the Queensland bush, c.1900-1910. Image no 39516

Welcome to our table! The State Library of Queensland collects voraciously on the subject of food and drink, the two essential ingredients for life and culture.

"Tell me what you eat, and I'll tell you who you are," wrote the renowned gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin in 1825.

Knowing what we eat, how we eat and with whom, provides researchers with great insights into the life and culinary practices of individuals and cultures here in Queensland and around the world.

Our collections encompass a variety of formats - books (including some of the state’s oldest cookbooks), digital stories, photographs, archival materials, menus and toast-lists and cover international cuisine and well as the unique contributions made by Queenslanders to the world’s menu.

Cookbooks and recipes

The State Library holds an extensive collection of books, journals, magazines and videos devoted to the art of cookery and the enjoyment of food. These collections cover all eras from ancient times to the present day, with some of our holdings dating back to the early 1800s.

Above: Cooking with wine by russelldavies on Flickr

Food, culture and wine

Food, drink and culture are inextricably linked. The State Library has hundreds of mouthwatering books about regional and national cuisines, wine, winemaking and spirits. We also have a number of electronic databases you can use to find articles on food, recipes, gourmet travel and nutrition.

Above: Wimmer's chilli punch label. From the Picture Queensland collection. Negative no. 191029

Queensland cookery, cuisine and food research in the John Oxley Library

The new stove at The Hollow, Mackay, Queensland, 1877

The John Oxley Library collection holds an array of tasty morsels on the subject of food ranging from rare nineteenth century cookbooks and accounts of Indigenous cooking practices to contemporary menus and invitations. Other items include commercial food labels, kitchen appliance catalogues, recipes and household hints, food promotion posters and ephemera, and photographs covering over a century of picnics, dinners and food production, preparation and consumption.