Southern Church Cookbooks

[Varmint]

Many of us have grown up with cookbooks from a local church, the PTA, Women's Club, and other organizations. The recipes are usually submitted by women and, here in the South, reflect much of what we consider to be southern culinary heritage. Meals were meant to be simple, filling, and made of relatively inexpensive ingredients. Game, fish and other readily available meat sources were often used. You could find chapters dedicated to pickles and other canned goods.

John T. Edge of the University of Mississippi's Southern Foodways Alliance published a compilation of recipes he gathered from southern community and church cookbooks. This book, "A Gracious Plenty: Recipes and Recollections from the American South" (Link to Amazon) was published a few years ago and did a great job of describing what we generally think of as "southern cooking."

Mrs. Varmint's grandmother published many recipes in these types of books, and she was later featured in a hard-bound publication, "Coastal Carolina Cooking" (Link to Amazon) I was fortunate to receive this past Christmas a gift from my mother-in-law that could truly be described as a labor of love: a compendium of my wife's grandmother's recipes. It's amazing what she cooked. More amazing are the recipes that weren't included, as they were committed only to memory. How to make shad (and to de-bone it) and its roe. Fig preserves. Coconut cake. Wild turkey stew. I'm glad to have received the written memories, but it's a shame we didn't get the others out of her.

What are your favorite church cookbook recipes? Do you use one cookbook in particular? I encourage you to post your favorite recipes in the eGullet recipe archive, too.

[Jaymes]

River Roads....

Is there such a thing as a southern cook that doesn't have a copy?

It's got to be my very favorite. I get kinda choked up thinking about how long I've loved cooking out of it. It was a wedding present some 35 years ago and I relied on it back in the days when I actually cared about what SOB (husband) was eating.

My favorite thing to do with these type of cookbooks is to look to see who was on the "cookbook committee," and then search out their recipes. You just KNOW those gals were the best cooks in town!

Edited May 19, 2003 by Jaymes (log)

[mcdowell]

Here's one that I've seen in a couple of church cookbooks... if you have a Bible, then look it up. Actually makes a cake.

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A Scriptural Cake

1 cup Judges 5:25

2 cups Jeremiah 6:20

3 1/2 cups First Kings 4:22

2 cups First Samuel 30:12

1 cup Numbers 17:8

6 Isaiah 10:14

1 tablespoon Exodus 16:31

Pinch Leviticus 2:13

2 teaspoons I Corinthians 5:6

Sweets in I Kings 10:2

Mix in order given and follow Solomon's advice given in Proberbs 23:14.

[awbrig]

Here's one that I've seen in a couple of church cookbooks... if you have a Bible, then look it up. Actually makes a cake.

Better not be Devil's Food Cake...

Could be Angels Food Cake...

Edited May 20, 2003 by awbrig (log)

[Random Alias]

Here's one that I've seen in a couple of church cookbooks...  if you have a Bible, then look it up. Actually makes a cake.

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A Scriptural Cake

1 cup Judges                  5:25

2 cups Jeremiah                6:20

3 1/2 cups First Kings        4:22

2 cups First Samuel      30:12

1 cup Numbers              17:8

6 Isaiah                            10:14

1 tablespoon Exodus      16:31

Pinch Leviticus                    2:13

2 teaspoons I Corinthians  5:6

Sweets in I Kings            10:2

Mix in order given and follow Solomon's advice given in Proberbs 23:14.

1 cup Butter - Judges 5:25, He asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth butter

2 cups Sugar - Jeremiah 6:20, 20. To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country?

3 1/2 cups Flour - First Kings 4:22, And Solomon's provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour

2 cups Raisins - First Samuel 30:12, And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins

1 cup Almonds - Numbers 17:8, brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.

6 Eggs - Isaiah 10:14, And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left

1 tlbs Honey - Exodus 16:31, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.

Pinch Salt - Leviticus 2:13, And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt

2 tsp Baking Powder - I Corinthians 5:6, Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump

Spices - I Kings 10:2, And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices,

[sml311]

So maybe I've gotten a little overenthuiastic looking up old posts I'd like to add to on here, but I have to say that local cookbooks are one of my most favorite things in the world. I deeply treasure the one from my home town's junior league that has a lot of recipes I grew up eating (and several exotic game recipes also!) My mother's Philadelphia Orchestra cookbook is a favorite that I've lifted many recipes from. There's also one called Thyme in the Kitchen (those clever, clever people--HA!) that I have found many good recipes in. I've even been given some a weddings where each member of the wedding party was asked to donate a few recipes. To make a long story short...local cookbooks are WONDERFUL! Nothing's better for comfort food.

[Pan]

Finally, Solomon's advice in Proverbs 23:14:

Thou beatest him with the rod,

And wilt deliver his soul from the nether-world.

So, beat all the ingredients together. Rod optional.

[Jaymes]

I deeply treasure the one from my home town's junior league that has a lot of recipes I grew up eating...

Which city is it?

[sml311]

Which city is it?

Owensboro, KY

The cookbook is called To Market, To Market and it's produced by the Owensboro Junior League. It's in it's third printing. My mom was on the committee that created it and tested many of the dessert recipes in our kitchen. (All the recipes were tested by someone--even the Mustard Bear Steaks and Savory Bear with Mushrooms!) PM me if you want order info.

SML

[Varmint]

These types of cookbooks can be sponsored by all different types of organizations. In the South, however, a much higher percentage appear to be church-affiliated cookbooks, whereas in the North, the sponsoring entity is a civic organization. Why is that?

[Lan4Dawg]

"These types of cookbooks can be sponsored by all different types of organizations. In the South, however, a much higher percentage appear to be church-affiliated cookbooks, whereas in the North, the sponsoring entity is a civic organization. Why is that?"

more than likely b/c traditionally the "civic organization" in the South has been the church. Many of these communities were not large enough to sponsor a woman's organization outside of the "Wesleyan Service Guild" or the "Baptist Women's Mission" &c. It is only in the larger cities that you have a "Junior League" or "Ladies Auxiliary". Things have changed drastically in the last twenty years but for quite some time the entire social organization of a community centered around its church--or churches.

Being a "PK" I have cook books fr/ various Methodist congregations all through Georgia & can tell stories about the politics that goes into publishing the things. There have been several occasions where feelings have been hurt b/c a receipt was "stolen" or not credited properly or not included in the book. Some of the receipts you know are going to be good b/c of the women who submitted them just as others are going to be lousy for the same reason.

All that aside I do have several favorites. "True Grits" by the Atlanta Junior League is phenomenal (they also did "Atlanta Cooknotes which is very good) as is "Cane River Cuisine" by the Service League of Natchitoches. Christ Church (Savannah) Cookbook is one I consult often as is "Bayou Cuisine" fr/ St. Stephens Episcopal in Indianola, MS.

Whenever we visit a city I try to return w/ a cook book fr/ a local group. I like to experiment w/ regional foods & church or service organization cookbooks are the best way to do so. They are exceptionally helpful when preparing menus for tailgating around the SEC. (speaking of which another one I like is "Rival Recipes" which was published by the Bulldog/Gator clubs of Jacksonville--they do rival receipts fr/ different areas of each state & it is fun to peruse & use for ideas.)

[bloviatrix]

These types of cookbooks can be sponsored by all different types of organizations. In the South, however, a much higher percentage appear to be church-affiliated cookbooks, whereas in the North, the sponsoring entity is a civic organization. Why is that?

It might just be in my circles, but it's very common for synagogues and jewish day schools to put together these cookbooks. I have serveral sitting on my bookshelf including Nouvelle Rochelle and From Aleph to Zucchini (goofy names are a requirement). These are commonly done as fund-raisers, so all the women in the sisterhood (and maybe some of the men) supply recipes and then the members lots of copies to give to family members at Chanukka. But, by far, the nicest of the fund-raising cookbooks is The Kosher Palette. This book is full color. It has suggestions for centerpieces and even wine pairings. Almost everyone I know has a copy.

[KatieLoeb]

I absolutely love community and church/synagogue/civic cookbooks. There's far less fuss and the ingredients are always readily available, the techniques easy to follow and the results predictably delicious. Dang, those church/synagogue ladies can cook!

Out of my ridiculously large collection of cookbooks, one of my very favorites is The Complete Book of Greek Cooking by the church ladies of St. Paul's Greek Orthodox Church Amazon Link HERE The book is written by real home cooks, not professional chefs, and has a recipe for vitually any Greek dish I have ever tried to reproduce. This is my one "go to" book for Greek cuisine.

I have a few other compilation books of various "community cookbooks" that I'll have to go look up the titles of. Never knew there were so many species of Jello molds before None will ever live up to Rachel Perlow's work of art I was priviledged to witness (and taste!) at the Bobolink Farm Pot Luck last summer. Her lovely avatar is an homage to that quivering work of art!

[racheld]

The small volumes with the cardboard covers and little plastic spiral edge are my very favorites, I think. They contain fourteen recipes for Green Bean Casserole, all printed so as not to hurt anyone's feelings. There are omissions, transpositions, and hilarious typos, in addition to some really outlandish combinations and seasonings.

But the little books contain the best of each cook's repertoire, gleaned from old McCall's and Farm Journals and from under the hairdryer. Mammaw's recipe for pound cake and Sawdust Salad, Mrs. Pund's uncooked fruitcake, the various alchemies which convert a can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom into veloute, bechamel, whatever is required---those are the foundation of a kitchen and a cook's reputation. They represent the downhome, solid, family-around-the-table values which are disappearing like vapor from our homes and towns.

When we were first married, we lived in a little furnished house, vacated by an elderly lady who went into a nursing home. Her lone cookbook was one of the church-published variety, and when we moved, I asked the Realtor if I could buy it. She gave it to me, and it's still my favorite cookbook among all the hundreds on my shelves.

On the front cover, in the shaky, still-elegant script of an eighty-year-old hand, are the words:

"Butter Scot Pie. Look on page where pie are."

[Toliver]

I am surprised Brooks (Mayhaw Man) didn't weigh in on this subject. His mother and grandmother have recipes printed in the The Cotton Country Collection. I got my copy from Amazon and I've made some of the recipes from it and they've turned out great.

You can find oodles of collection cookbooks on eBay. Unfortunately, you get more duds than winners. Many of the recipes in some collections turn out to be of the "can o'condensed soup" variety and tend to be repetitive, cookbook after cookbook.

I've been bugging my mom to make up a cookbook of her recipes for us kids, but so far it's been a bust. The retirees association she belongs to put out a collection of recipes and I've had to buy the book just to get some of her recipes in writing!

I guess that's one way of getting them...

[kpurvis]

I haven't yet lived my dream of visiting the Cookbook Hall of Fame on Avery Island, but I got a grant a couple of years ago to spend several days in the cookbook collection at the Schlesinger Library at Radcliffe in Boston. Among other things, including castoffs from J. Child's personal collection, they have an extensive selection of community cookbooks. It's a rich pasture for grazing, if you're looking for how a particular kind of food was worked into lives. Among the synagogue sisterhoods, the Greek Orthodox church cookbooks and the endless church circle books, one of my favorites was a cookbook by an Anglo women's group in Mexico City in the '50s. Made for interesting reading.

[Jaymes]

Yep. I've got one from an Anglo women's group in Puerta Vallarta, and two from Panama City, Panama.

And I also have long enjoyed the series (maybe twelve in all?) of "Military Officers' Wives Favorite Recipes."

Although it's true that these collections of recipes from the 70's do feature a lot of 'cream of ______ soup,' they are wonderful books. Especially the vegetable one, and the foreign food one.

Edited February 9, 2005 by Jaymes (log)

[highchef]

You people have given me inspiration. I've been reading 'professional' cultural cookbooks to help me explore other cuisines. What I should be doing is finding the communities cookbooks and learning from the home cooks. I've been checking out a vietnamese resturant lately and I know there's a large vietnamese population south of NO. I wonder if they have a cookbook?

Around here i second River Roads 1; 2 and 3 arn't bad either, but the original is hands down favorite. Cotton Country is good too. Pirates Pantry is great. there's a compilation of the best of the local cookbooks out there which is handy for tourist wanting to try the food themselves. Interestingly enough I've only seen them at Cracker Barrel Resturants!! he he...

[helenjp]

Toliver, that link brought up all sorts of other community cookbooks. I was fascinated!

I have a few of the "Anglo women in furrin parts" productions too...latest is a binder of photocopied recipes called "Saitama's Secrets", put out about a decade ago by a group of foreign women living in Japan. Goes from Sloppy Joes to Bibim-bap and Mabo-dofu...

So how is this tradition carried on today? Is it the private collection housed on a website? Or is it still the small booklet in spiral or staple-through binding?

Who's been involved in producing such booklets? I've drawn pictures for 'em, typed 'em, contributed to 'em, bought 'em...how about the rest of you? What did you get out of it? Is the hotchpotch approach the life and soul of community cookbooks, or do you exercise some kind of quality or thematic control? Why don't people pay more attention to production and artwork?! Let's hear about it!

[Toliver]

Who's been involved in producing such booklets? I've drawn pictures for 'em, typed 'em, contributed to 'em, bought 'em...how about the rest of you? What did you get out of it? Is the hotchpotch approach the life and soul of community cookbooks, or do you exercise some kind of quality or thematic control? Why don't people pay more attention to production and artwork?! Let's hear about it!

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It's a different story these days. Once where you had hand-drawn illustrations and covers they now have cookbook companies that specialize in professionally publishing fundraising cookbooks for local organizations.

My mom is a member of a retirees association and they have "published" a collection of recipes for the last couple of years. They provide the recipes to the cookbook company. The cookbook company inserts the recipes into pre-made book templates. The cover is a generic cover (my mom's organization's cookbook was titled "Our Family Favorites") and generic "filler" pages are added (pages with info like measurement conversions, cleaning tips, etc) to pad the page count.

If you find any recenty published community cookbooks, most likely there will be info inside of it detailing how "you, too, can publish your own cookbook and raise money at the same time...just contact us".

It's an entirely different ballgame these days!

[helenjp]

Thanks for your update, Toliver. Looks like an opportunity here for a community-based newspaper.

[marthavining]

It might be interesting to note that community cookbooks are pretty much an American invention that came about during the Civil War, aka 'The War of Northern Aggression'. Women church groups banded together and compiled collections of recipes in cookbooks to sell for the support of widows, orphans and disabled veterans of the war. To my knowledge, community cookbooks are still pretty much found primarily in the US.

[andiesenji]

It wasn't a church cookbook, but the first cookbook I received as a gift, at age 11, was Charleston Receipts, and I still have the first one, carefully put away, and have several of its descendents, which I still cook from.

As noted here it is "the oldest cookbook of its kind, continually in print."

Some of the lowcountry recipes have never been published, exactly as recorded in this book, anywhere else that I have found and I have looked.

[highchef]

It wasn't a church cookbook, but the first cookbook I received as a gift, at age 11, was Charleston Receipts, and I still have the first one, carefully put away, and have several of its descendents, which I still cook from.

As noted here it is "the oldest cookbook of its kind, continually in print."

Some of the lowcountry recipes have never been published, exactly as recorded in this book, anywhere else that I have found and I have looked.

←

I got a copy for a wedding gift a long time ago. It's a classic.

[Jaymes]

It wasn't a church cookbook, but the first cookbook I received as a gift, at age 11, was Charleston Receipts, and I still have the first one, carefully put away, and have several of its descendents, which I still cook from.

As noted here it is "the oldest cookbook of its kind, continually in print."

Some of the lowcountry recipes have never been published, exactly as recorded in this book, anywhere else that I have found and I have looked.

←

I got a copy for a wedding gift a long time ago. It's a classic.

Yep. The Charleston Junior League. I've got several dozen of those Junior League cookbooks. They're really terrific, and Charleston Receipts is one of the best.