Metroplitan Cook Book, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, 1940s

Metropolitan Cook Book from the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.

This little cookbook is undated, but the red, white, and blue cover, along with the foreword, provide clues to let the reader know that the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company published it during World War II.  "Food has always played a vital role in the life of a nation.  But never before in the history of our country has its wise use been more important than at present, since we must feed our Army all over the world and our civilian population, and help to feed our allies."  Rationing and the scarcity of food staples are referenced and the recipes reflect the realities of the 1940s, encouraging the reader to use leftovers, to find ways to use the same foods in a variety of ways, and to cook foods so that all of their original value will be preserved -- sustainable and valuable advice as applicable today as it was then.

Measuring approximately 7 3/4" x 5 1/2" with 56 pages of recipes and an index, this little historical gem surely provided well for the household where it resided during the war years.