Best American Regional Cookbooks

[SylviaLovegren]

Don't forget the Penn Dutch as a unique culinary culture. I don't know what books I'd suggest, though, does anybody have any ideas?

There's got to be a Head Cheese for Dummies, dontcha think?

William Woys Weaver. He's wonderful anyway because he really gets into where the food came from, how it's grown, etc. He's written a number on PA Dutch -- that's where he lived (and maybe still does). http://www.amazon.com/William-Woys-Weaver/e/B000APZL4A

[SylviaLovegren]

Two I love are Sonyat's La Bouche Creole for downhome Louisiana homecooking. Spiral bound, at least my copy, and recipes are consistently delicious.

And also love Crosscreek Cookery by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. Don't cook from it a lot but adore reading it and fantasizing about having a Jersey cow to give cream rich enough to cook her recipes. A wonderful look at Florida in the mid-1900s.

And another old-fashioned book but one that's so much fun and really worth having is Clementine Paddleford's How America Eats. http://www.amazon.com/How-America-eats-Clementine-Paddleford/dp/B00005XH32/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1371214466&sr=8-2&keywords=how+america+eats It's hard to find at a good price so if you do find one, snap it up!

Edited June 14, 2013 by SylviaLovegren (log)

[Jaymes]

Somebody asked about Hawaii...

Years ago, while on a trip to Kona, I purchased "Kona on My Plate," one of those community "Junior League"-type cookbooks. I've always loved it.

Hard to find copies now, though. At least at a reasonable price:

Amazon Link

[mukki]

SylviaLovegren, on 14 Jun 2013 - 06:02, said:

And another old-fashioned book but one that's so much fun and really worth having is Clementine Paddleford's How America Eats. http://www.amazon.com/How-America-eats-Clementine-Paddleford/dp/B00005XH32/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1371214466&sr=8-2&keywords=how+america+eats It's hard to find at a good price so if you do find one, snap it up!

There's an updated version of this book available:

http://www.amazon.com/Great-American-Cookbook-Time-Tested-Favorite/dp/0847836908/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371315195&sr=1-1

Not sure how it compares to the original.

[Jaymes]

There are a great many excellent cookbooks that cover the famous, even legendary, food, cuisine, heritage, culture, customs of the American South. But, of course, in the "old days," there were really two "souths": Black and White. And where those cultures crossed paths and combined was in the kitchen.

I come from a military background and, a few years ago, was gifted with a copy of "Military Wives Cookbook" by Carolyn Quick Tillery. http://www.amazon.com/The-Military-Wives-Cookbook-Remembrances/dp/1581826729

I was expecting some excellent recipes, of course, but what caught me completely unaware was the narrative by Ms. Tillery. She and I had a lot in common, I realized as I read. She was a military brat, like I am. Her father was US Southern born. Mine, too. Hers had joined the Army Air Corps, before WWII, as had mine. There's a photo of her sitting in her first grade class in Germany in a DOD (Department of Defense) classroom. That's where I started first grade as well. And then she married a career Air Force officer, again as did I.

But what really struck me was where our worlds differed. Her father was African American. Mine of Scots-Irish descent. And her vivid and compelling description of the heritage of the African American experience was mesmerizing. I couldn't help but want to know more about her.

And so it happened that I discovered, to my absolute delight, the "Military Wives" cookbook was only one of many she's written that combine recipes and stories about food with recollections, remembrances, history.

I've since bought several of her books. In my humble view, anyone that really wants to understand the cooking of the American South, and the African American experience, should consider the works of Carolyn Quick Tillery indispensable:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=carolyn%20tillery