Who was Fannie Farmer? The name may sound familiar but those who are not dedicated cooks or students of American food history may not know who Fannie Merritt Farmer was or what she did.

She was born in 1857 in Boston and was a bright young lady, headed for an academic future in an era when educated women were rare. Her education ended when she suffered a paralyzing stroke as a sixteen year old high school student and she became bedfast for years.

By the age of thirty, Fannie Farmer had relearned to walk but she would carry a limp for the rest of her life. She made a decision that would change her future and contribute heavily to the future of cooking when she enrolled in the Boston Cooking School.

The Boston Cooking School, then operated by school president Mrs. William B. Sewell. Fanny remained a student at the school until 1889. This was the era of the first "domestic science" movement, a time when cooks first measured ingredients with a precise hand. Prior to this, cooking was done with a pinch of this and a handful of that but domestic science pioneered recipes with exact ingredients and instructions.

After spending several years at the school as one of the top students, Fannie herself became principal of the Boston Cooking School. She then wrote and published an extensive cookbook in 1896. Originally titled "The Boston Cooking School Cookbook", this work is now known as The Original Fannie Farmer 1896 Cookbook.

With over 1800 recipes that range from the basics of making bread to sickroom recipes for the invalid and holiday dinners, this cookbook became - and remains - a standard for cooks everywhere. This was the first definitive cookbook, one that provided cooks of every social station with the new knowledge of precise cooking.

In addition to recipes that can still be prepared as Fannie wrote them today, Fannie wrote about the history of food, the science of food and the simple mechanics of food preparation.

Until her death in 1915, Fannie continued to cook, write, teach, and speak about food. In fact, she cooked and wrote until just ten days before her death.

Her name remains at the top of the list of cooks and her now famous cookbook remains a top seller.

That's who Fannie Farmer is and that is what she did!