We invite you to refer to books first published a hundred or more years ago. It would seem, what can surprise us with cooks who had no refrigerators, no blenders, no sterilizers, no additives that can give a cake or cake a fabulous look? But let's remember that cooking, like any art, is cyclical in a sense. And now we are experiencing a new wave of interest in everything "natural," in dishes prepared with our own hands. We have selected for you the most interesting (and, what is important, quite feasible) recipes from several popular books at one time: "A gift to young housewives, or A means to reduce household expenses" E. I. Molokhovets; "Practical Foundations of Culinary Art" by P. P. Alexandrova-Ignatieva; "A necessary handbook for young housewives. Public, cheap and tasty table" by N. A. Kolomiytsova; "Cookbook of a Russian experienced hostess" by E. A. Avdeeva.