ARRAY(0x21c4e58)
The Gullah people of the Sea Islands of South Carolina have preserved ways of life and speech from West African slave culture and plantation times. Robinson, a native of Daufuskie, one of the islands, writes that "most of our food came from the land—and water—around our tin-roofed home." This book honors a love of her childhood and her family, and that love is intertwined with food. Introducing most recipes are reminiscences of loading the wood stove, trips to the store, fishing for sheepshead, washing clothes on a washboard and cooking "long pots" (slow-cooked meals). Beautiful photos of island life and a relaxed attitude toward cooking ("these are recipes, not rules") make for accessible additions to anyone's Southern repertoire, with homespun dishes like Tada Salad, Sea Island Okra Gumbo and Fuskie Crab Patties. Sticky-Bush Blackberry Dumpling and Crackin' Conch and Rice are the kind of authentically regional recipes that are harder and harder to come by these days. Pot Full O' Coon and Fried Squirrel may not be the next trendy item on a Manhattan menu (Robinson admits she doesn't cook possum anymore), but these are the recipes that give the book its unique, almost anthropological intrigue. Given that many recipes begin with bacon or pork fat, this is not a cookbook meant for nouveau palates as much as it is for the preservation of a unique, fascinating culture. Wonderful to browse through and experiment with, this is an excellent volume for anyone interested in Southern and African-American culture and food. (Mar.)
Release date: 04/01/2003
Genre: Nonfiction
