Mexican Cookery for American Homes, produced by Gebhardt’s, date unknown… but the illustrations make me think it is from the 1950′s. Long long ago William Gebhardt gave the world its first chili powder, I bet you didn’t know that, did you?

This cool little cookbook was produced to not only introduce Mexican Cookery to American homemakers, but to also promote their product line. Not only did they make chili powder, but they made canned foods such as: Chili con carne, Tamales with chili gravy, Chili beans spiced Mexican style, Barbeque sauce, and Deviled sandwich spread.  Yum, canned food!

You’ll find a wide range of recipes in this cookbook, some look good, some… well, lets call them “interesting”.  Overall, the food photos are reasonably well done, and there are some nice “retro” spot illustrations of a happy 1950′s housewife.  I do think they over did it with their Eagle logo though… it is a little too “American”… and maybe a little too reminiscent of the Nazi S.S. logo.

Whether you like vintage Mexican recipes, or are a collector of vintage cookbooks, this is definitely one to find and add to your collection!  Especially if it is as near mint as my copy!