I thought it was intriguing that in 1868, ingredients from across the world were available for Canadians to use.  Although now, we are fortunate to have a larger variety and selection when we visit the grocery store!  

This domestic style handbook was published for “the Canadian housewife,” in January 1868, shortly after confederation. It was part of a series titled “The Canadian National Series for Reading Books”. Many books from this series were approved by the Ontario Department of Education for use in the schools of Ontario at the time of confederation. (Ontario Archives, 2015). My hypothesis is that this book may have been used in a home economics class.

Blancmange is an English dessert pudding made from milk, and thickened with a starch. Results of a census from 1871 showed that 83.6% of immigrants during that time came from the British Isles (Statistics Canada, 2016).