Food & Drink History Resources @Virginia Tech (and Beyond): Sources for Selected Topics

The selected topics in this section have been created based around some of our strengths in the food and drink history collecting area. The topics listed are covered broadly and you will be able to locate additional resources by searching on your own or with assistance from Special Collections and University Archives. Resources may appear on more than one page, as topics can often overlap. You can also browse/search a list of more than 75 manuscript collections which relate to food history. Please note: This guide ONLY includes suggested/representative readings and manuscript collections (both primary and secondary sources) in Special Collections and University Archives, not everything we may have on a given topic. 

We recommend you search the catalog or the finding aid database or contact Special Collections and University Archives for help in locating these and other materials throughout the library. If you need assistance finding resources, check out the section on "Special Collections and University Archives" for advice on how to search our tools. Look at the "Digital Collections & Exhibits," "Physical Collections," and "Online Resources" sections to identify materials located online or at other cultural heritage institutions. You can always contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308 or visit us Mon-Fri from 8am-5pm). We can help you find materials and hopefully include them here for future use. 

In addition, we often feature publications, manuscript collections, and authors on our "What's Cookin' @ Special Collections?!" culinary history blog. Posts can include additional background information and research, as well as links to other resources and images. We encourage you to search through if you're researching a particular topic!