Please join us, Sunday, May 25, 2025, at 5:00pm PST, for an online presentation by Tracy Johnston speaking on The Spanish Cook Without Equal - My Adventures in Translating Encarnación Pinedo’s 1898 Cookbook.

In 1898, Encarnación Pinedo published a cookbook, written in Spanish, and compiled from recipes she had gathered throughout her life in the San Jose area. It was the first cookbook published in the United States written by a Latina, and it represented the California Rancho culture she grew up in and inherited from her Berryessa ancestors.

It is not just a cookbook but a historical document, a record made during the transition of California from the Rancho period through the Gold Rush and beyond. Further, it was written from the point-of-view of a woman, in a way that society accepted from women.

Tracy Johnston, an avid foodie, food history buff, and long-time food blogger, translated all 900 of Miss Pinedo's recipes in parallel text format, making it simple to compare Pinedo's words directly with the translation; this includes recipes not found in Strehl's 2003 book. Also, Tracy has been redacting the recipes and reports them on her blog, The Spanish Cook Without Equal. Her talk shares the adventures she has had during this journey and highlights the questions and mysteries that remain.

IMPORTANT: We are no longer posting the zoom link on Eventbrite. You will receive an email on the day of the event with the Zoom link. Please watch for this email as it is the only way that you will receive the link to attend the meeting. If you dont recieve the email, please check your junk mail folder.

​As always, it is super-helpful if you indicate your interest on the BACH Events page on Facebook in addition to registering here.