Did you know that the history of powdered gelatin is tied to the invention of the steam locomotive? That bell peppers were called "mangos" in early America? That until the early 1900s, tomatoes were avoided unless a handful was needed to kill a werewolf? From Rivets and Rails not only offers recipes from a boarding house linked with the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad lines, but also gives tidbits of information related to early American cooking and railroad history. Based on the cookery journal of Elizabeth Shade Kennedy, a woman who became a single parent to five boys following the unexpected death of her railroad engineer husband, Recipes of a Railroad Boarding House Cookbook offers a glimpse into early kitchens during one of the most expansive times in American history.