An African American Cookbook: Living the Experience [Paperback]

Phoebe Bailey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2002

A cookbook rich in history and rich in easy to prepare recipes.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

An African American Cookbook: Traditional and Other Favorite Recipes is a bountiful collection of favorite foods and the memories that go with them. All of the dishes celebrate hearty African American eating; the traditional foods reflect the ingenious, resourceful, and imaginative Africans who made them.
Woven among the 400 recipes are rich historic anecdotes and sayings. They were discovered or lived by the cookbook's contributors, many of whose ancestors participated in the Underground Railroad, or lived nearby where it was active.
A cookbook rich in history and rich in easy-to-prepare, wonderfully tasty food!
Remembering the Underground Railroad . . .
Author Phoebe Bailey's congregation in historic Lancaster, Pennsylvania, has a long history with Underground Railroad activity. Today they offer Underground Railroad reenactments and a buffet of traditional African American food to their many visitors. This cookbook celebrates those historic events, when this church fed and then helped to spirit enslaved Africans to safety.

About the Author

Phoebe M. Bailey was born to John Cornelius and Margaret Marie Bailey, the youngest of 15 children, in Huntington, Long Island, New York. Phoebe currently resides in ChurchTowne of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with her son Piindamon. Phoebe has been encouraged by her father’s strength and courage as a black man, and inspired by her mother’s faith in God and undeniable intelligence as a black woman, to embrace herself and her African heritage.

    Phoebe began her career with Bethel Harambee Historical Services as a call from God. She left the corporate world to work closely with her brother, the Reverend Edward M. Bailey, and the congregation of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, to preserve and tell the stories of those Africans who have been discounted and left out of traditional American history and to restore and rebuild a community of promise.

    Phoebe is the executive director of "Living The Experience," a spiritual Underground Railroad reenactment. She is also one of the reenactors. Her ministry is to sing the song of an awesome God, who continues to deliver His people.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Good Books (August 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561483524
• ISBN-13: 978-1561483525
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #299,518 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #76 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Meals > Breakfast

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars History and Food, What a Combination!, July 18, 2005

By 

J Keistler "[e-mail]" (Lake Jackson, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An African American Cookbook: Living the Experience (Paperback)

I'm not black, I'm white, but I enjoy cooking and cuisine generated from hard times and a lack of waste. While I have other cookbooks focusing on the history of cooking by black cooks in this country, what makes this little book particularly interesting is the sprinkling of history throughout. No, it's not comprehensive and doesn't pretend to be. However, like doughnuts and coffee, the two just go well together. Some of the recipes, particularly desserts, rely too much on processed foods I wouldn't want to make. The meats and vegetables are better. Still, it's a nice little book and I'm glad to add it to my shelf.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this cookbook, April 24, 2008

By 

Amazon customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: An African American Cookbook: Living the Experience (Paperback)

This book is my favorite cookbook, and I have at least 50 of them. The recipes are wonderfully delicious, and my teenage daughters and I love to try different ones together. The ingredients are things you would normally have around the house, unlike some cookbooks where you have to buy stuff that you will never use again. You will use this cookbook more than your other ones. It's great!!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tasteeeey!!!, September 17, 2006

By 

dodd9702 (Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An African American Cookbook: Living the Experience (Paperback)

This is my most consistent in terms of taste of the 5 cookbooks I own. All the recipes I have tried so far have been GOOD and those who have eaten them have given them rave reviews. Some of the recipes aren't completely written, for example, one says, "Cook for 45-60 minutes." and it is not clear whether this means in the oven, in the frying pan, and at what temperature. There are enough of similar kinds of recipes though to figure these errors out.

For those who never learned how to cook like grandma or moms, this is the book to learn. You can also substitute ingredients, such as nonfat milk for whole milk, to make the food a bit healthier. You can also substitute smoked turkey for hamhocks and salt pork. However, sometimes you have to splurge and go for those to get that old school taste. :)