The melting pot that has taken people from many lands and fused them into our sturdy American stock has been just as busy evolving a typical American cookery.

American cookery had its greatest influence at first from English, Scotch and Dutch cooking as it was practiced in the early seventeenth century. Then came the French influence to put its stamp upon some localities, New Orleans for example, but to make no appreciable change upon the trend cooking was taking naturally.

Virginia and New England followed the English type of culinary art. But early in the history in these two sections of Colonial America there were developed definite differ ences in cookery because of climatic conditions and modes of living.

Scotch cookery flourished in all sections of Colonial America. Wherever there was a Scotchman there was also cake made of oatmeal and treacle. Scotch cookery can be placed in no special locality in America, but its place of importance in Cookery Americana is unquestioned by the student of culinary art as it is practiced by the modern American housewife.

Dutch cookery came to New York and Pennsylvania and stayed. The gemberkoek of colonial days is the ginger cake of today. Good old Dutch cookery, like good old Scotch cookery, was sound, simple food. Sound, simple food met the physical needs of a pioneer people, who had to face and overcome hardships in a New World, before any dis-

tinctive national culture could be evolved. Modern Amer ican cookery is characterized by those old Colonial neces sities, soundness and simplicity of food.

The modern American woman approaches all questions of food from the standpoint of quality. She demands the best, the freshest, the most carefully handled food product, for her money. Every alert American woman is an author ity on the quality of food. Housewives, not food experts, have succeeded in evolving a Cookery Americana, which has at last brought Old World recognition of the excellence of American food.

The present day traveler from the United States is not made to feel, as he was in the eighties and nineties, that he should be apologetic for the lack his homeland suffered in culinary art. Instead he is apologized to. People of other lands, especially if they are widely traveled, are be ginning to evaluate food as Americans do. That evolution is based on a nice blending of scientific principles with gastronomic pleasures and recognizes the soundness of the American woman's demands for fresh foods, handled in the most sanitary way. So America takes her place in world cookery. And it is an honored place.

As we go AROUND THE WORLD MAKING COOK IES it is fitting that the evolution of American cookie making, from colonial times to the present day, be given first consideration. Then other countries, especially those noted for small cake making, will contribute their choice formulas, rounding out the collection of small cake recipes gathered from many lands.