American Regional Cooking Library: Southeast

Children's Literature

If you like Southern cooking—this book is for you. Settlers from England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Spain, Germany, and Asia came to live in the area that would be North Carolina, South Carolina, George and Florida. Slave trade forced Africans to work on plantations, which caused Southern kitchens to develop a rich cuisine that lives on to today. Some of these recipes are Scotch Eggs, Southern Peach Bread, Beaten Biscuits, Vidalia Onion and Ham Bruschetta, She-Crab Soup, Pecan-Topped Sweet Potatoes, Red Rice, Lobster Savannah, Chicken 'n Dumplin' Stew, Frogmore Stew, Southern Pecan/Sesame Chicken, Pecan Pie, and Key Lime Pie. Each recipe is laid out in a simple but attractive format on the page under "Ingredients and Directions." In a small insert, the "Cooking Utensils You'll Need" are listed and on the opposite page is a beautiful picture of the finished product. The size of the book is nice for laying on a counter or for propping up. Some of the really unique recipes include Barbecue Sauce, Collard Greens, Black-Eyed Peas, Fried Okra, and Sesame Cookies. The wonderful Fried Chicken, Fried Catfish, Corn Bread, Sweet Potato Pie, and Pecan Pie are all included, too. The color and design of the whole book is magnificent. The front of the book contains an "Introduction"; "American Indian Culture, History, and Traditions"; "Before You Cook" with safety tips; a "Metric Conversion Table"; "Pan Sizes"; "Useful Tools, Utensils" and a "Cooking Glossary." At the back are further reading and information sources, an index, and credits for the author, recipe tester/food preparer, consultant, and recipe contributor and picture credits. This book is part of the "American Regional Cooking Library:Culture, Tradition, and History" series. The series' consultant is The Culinary Institute of America. 2005, Mason Crest Publishers, Ages 12 to 18.
—Naomi Butler