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Especially prior to the twentieth century, invalid and convalescent cookery constituted an integral part of health care provided at home, as in many cases recovery of health was to be achieved by consuming appropriate food rather than through an application of medicine. Interestingly, in Irish culinary discourse convalescent cookery was still commonplace until the 1970s. This research, based on a qualitative content analysis of selected Irish culinary texts published from 1910 to 1970, aims to provide an overview of invalid and convalescent cookery in Ireland in the twentieth century. Exploring the prevalence of recipes and tips for home treatment of invalids in twentieth-century Ireland, this article attempts not only to add to the growing body of scholarship centred on feeding the sick at home but also in a broader context to contribute to the work on Irish culinary history and Irish women’s history.

Situated within the fields of culinary history, memory studies, narrative studies and food studies, this research based upon a qualitative content analysis of the selected introductions to Irish cookbooks aims to outline the significance of food memories in culinary discourses. The analysed food memories, as I argue in the text, can be viewed as representations both of individual and collective accounts. They constitute a part of intangible culinary heritage as they construct the shared image of national cuisine, in this case Irish native cuisine. Furthermore, food memories can provide an alternative view on the history of everyday life and therefore can be treated as microhistories and micronarratives.