QUEENSLAND COOKERY, CUISINE AND FOOD RESEARCH IN THE JOHN OXLEY LIBRARY
Preserving the rich history of Queensland’s culinary traditions is central to the mission of the John Oxley Library. From the earliest known Australian cookbook English and Australian Cookery Book: cookery for the many, as well as for the upper 10,000 (1864) by the ‘Australian aristologist’ Edward Abbott to a cornucopia of assorted toast lists, recipes, books and posters.
For over 60,000 years Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have enjoyed a healthy balanced and varied diet. At the heart of this is a unique knowledge of native fauna and plants and their uses, both as food and as traditional medicine, which ensured the best use of available resources. Insights into these traditions may be gleaned from a range of rare and recent publications held in the John Oxley Library.
Gems from official feasts and galas include a souvenir menu for a dinner held in London in honour of Bert Hinkler in 1928 and a beautiful silk menu presented to Queensland Governor Sir Anthony Musgrave after a banquet held at the Imperial Hotel, Townsville in 1884.
The John Oxley Library’s extensive collection of photographs includes images of workers harvesting crops and herding livestock to photos of production lines for food packaging, depression era food queues, picnics, cake stalls, breakfasts and dinners.
In 2009/10, our John Oxley Library Fellows, Dr Judith McKay and Susan Addison, collaborated on the theme Cooking up Stories: exploring Queensland's rich and diverse culinary heritage. They used John Oxley Library’s resources to research the past 150 years of Queensland's culinary heritage. Their previous book, A Good Plain Cook: an edible history of Queensland (1985), covered the period from early European settlement to 1945. Their current research explored how the supply, preparation and consumption of food, along with its associated rituals, have evolved over the years under the influence of economic conditions, technological advance, social change and increasing cultural diversity.
Did you know?
Mrs Lance Rawson was one of Queensland’s well known 19th century cookery writers who urged settlers to adapt to their new environment by using locally available foods. Her The Australian Enquiry Book of Household and General Information of 1894 (available in the John Oxley Library collection) contains recipes that include flying foxes and bandicoots. According to Judith McKay and Susan Addison’s A Good Plain Cook: and edible history of Queensland Mrs Rawson “almost poisoned her household with roast ibis and served iguana stew to unsuspecting guests.”
How do I access items in this collection?
Access at the State Library
- Find items in the collection via our One Search catalogue.
- Browse Levels 2, 3 and 4 or request items from on-site ‘Closed Access’ storage with your e-services card. If you order Closed Access items via the One Search catalogue ahead of your visit, items should be waiting for you when you arrive. You can order up to 3 days in advance. See delivery times for more information.
- Use our e-collections computers on level 2 to search the library’s catalogue; to search our databases for electronic journal, magazine and newspaper articles and to view images and manuscripts from our collection. These e-collections computers do not need to be booked and have no time limits on use.
- You can also access our electronic resources via the State Library’s free wireless service if you have a laptop. Check our Info Guide on how to access wireless for details.
Access offsite
- You can access selected offsite databases to search for electronic journal, magazine and newspaper articles offsite via any Internet enabled device. You will be prompted to login with your e-services card or QPL account.
- Some State Library items are available for loan to other libraries. Contact your local library for information about interlibrary loan and copy services.
Search our collections:
Related links
- Discover our creature comforts: food and culture in Queensland history
- View food images in Picture Queensland
Queensland stories
External links
- Aboriginal bush tucker
- Traditional uses of Australian native plants
- Australian native foods
- ABC Queensland recipes
Last updated: 17th May 2012
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