Cooking Up Texas

The Setting the Texas Table exhibit logo showing a plate with a fork, knife and spoon on top of a red outline of Texas
Texans connect with their history and each other by sharing recipes. Cookbooks help document the identity of cultures by revealing the types of dishes people living in a certain place and time might like to eat. When an ingredient shows up on multiple pages and across numerous cookbooks, the meat, fruit, vegetable or condiment is likely common to the area.

Texas recipes often mention peaches, sweet potatoes, corn, and beef. Our collections bring together publications from state agencies and others associated with the history of Texas cuisine that showcase how our tastes and styles have evolved over the years.

Exhibit Video

Texas Pork - Motion Picture, video, and sound recordings, Texas Department of Agriculture Records.
1994/099-03-03

 

Exhibit Items

The cover of a book showing a drawing of the Capitol.Creighton, Sue, ed. "Capitol Cook Book: Favorite Family Recipes of Texas Governors, Senators and Other State Officials." Waco: Texian Press, 1973. TSLAC-Main Collection, 641.5 C 862CA photograph of an opened book showing two pages. Creighton, Sue, ed. "Capitol Cook Book: Favorite Family Recipes of Texas Governors, Senators and Other State Officials." Waco: Texian Press, 1973. TSLAC-Main Collection, 641.5 C 862CCreighton, Sue, ed. "Capitol Cook Book: Favorite Family Recipes of Texas Governors, Senators and Other State Officials." Waco: Texian Press, 1973. TSLAC-Main Collection, 641.5 C 862C.

This cookbook includes recipes from the personal collections of politicians and their partners. On these pages, we see recipes for a pie and two salads provided by Irma Mae Smith, wife of the 40th Governor of Texas. Click or tap on thumbnails for larger image.
 

 


 

A photograph of a cover of the book which is a wooden cut out of a boot with text on it. Fehrenbach, Lillian. "The Pedernales Country Cookbook." New York: Macmillan Company, 1968. TSLAC-Main Collection, 641.5 F322.Fehrenbach, Lillian. "The Pedernales Country Cookbook." New York: Macmillan Company, 1968. TSLAC-Main Collection, 641.5 F322.

Click or tap on thumbnail for larger image.
 


 



 

A photograph of the cover of the Cooking with Texas Peanuts book showing peanut brittle and peanuts. Texas Department of Agriculture. "Cooking with Texas Peanuts. 1980." TSLAC-Texas Documents Collection, A900.8 C766pea 1980 c.2Texas Department of Agriculture. "Cooking with Texas Peanuts. 1980." TSLAC-Texas Documents Collection, A900.8 C766pea 1980 c.2.

The cookbook by Lillian Fehrenbach highlights many culinary traditions that are part of Texas cuisine. The Texas Department of Agriculture also created cookbooks to highlight specific agricultural products from Texas, such as peanuts. These marketing materials included unlikely recipes like peanut-stuffed pork chops and peanutty bean-bacon salad.  Click or tap on thumbnail for larger image.
 


 


 

A photograph of the cover of the book Presale Market Prices showing an assortement of vegetables.  Marketing Division, Texas Department of Agriculture. "Wholesale Market Prices: Fresh Fruits and Vegetables at Dallas, Texas 1975." TSLAC-Texas Documents Collection, A900.6 W62DAL 1975Marketing Division, Texas Department of Agriculture. "Wholesale Market Prices: Fresh Fruits and Vegetables at Dallas, Texas 1975." TSLAC-Texas Documents Collection, A900.6 W62DAL 1975.

Publications of the Texas Department of Agriculture also include data, such as these tabulations of wholesale market prices.

 Click or tap on thumbnails for larger image.
 

 

 

 

The book cover to "the Texas Wild Game Cookbook" showing an illustration of a deer with antlers. Morehead, Judith and Richard Morehead. "The Texas Wild Game Cookbook." Austin: Encino Press, 1972. TSLAC-Main Collection, 641.5 M813t "The Texas Wild Game Cookbook" opened and showing two pages illustration of armadillos. Morehead, Judith and Richard Morehead. "The Texas Wild Game Cookbook." Austin: Encino Press, 1972. TSLAC-Main Collection, 641.5 M813tMorehead, Judith and Richard Morehead. "The Texas Wild Game Cookbook." Austin: Encino Press, 1972. TSLAC-Main Collection, 641.5 M813t.

This cookbook features Texas-themed recipes provided by residents of Texas, such as these recipes for barbecued and stuffed armadillo.

Click or tap on thumbnails for larger image.
 

 

 

 

The Texas Highways Cookbook opened and showing two pages with photographs of goats around a tree and one of a pan of food. Smith, Joanne. "Texas Highways Cookbook." Austin: University of Texas Press, 1986. TSLAC-Main Collection, 641 Sm61Smith, Joanne. "Texas Highways Cookbook." Austin: University of Texas Press, 1986. TSLAC-Main Collection, 641 Sm61.

Joanne Smith compiled recipes submitted to Texas Highways magazine into a cookbook. The recipes on these pages show traditional Mexican cooking popular in Texas. Click or tap on thumbnail for larger image.

 

 

 

The cover of "Beef Recipes for Today" showing a pot of beans and some cut pieces of beef. Texas Department of Agriculture. "Beef Recipes for Today." 1980. TSLAC-Texas Documents Collection, A900.8 B392ret 1980

Texas Department of Agriculture. "Beef Recipes for Today." 1980. TSLAC-Texas Documents Collection, A900.8 B392ret 1980.

“Beef Recipes for Today” is another example of a Department of Agriculture publication, including diagrams on carving roasts.

Click or tap on thumbnail for larger image.

 

 

 Next - The Lean Table ->

Setting the Texas Table Exhibit Pages:

Setting the Texas Table | Cooking Up Texas | The Lean Table | Farm to Market |
Great Eats! Making It Official | Land And Cattle | Celebrating the Taste of Texas |

Top of page

Lobby Exhibits Home

Page last modified: August 31, 2022