Customer Reviews

The African-American Heritage Cookbook: Traditional Recipes and Fond Remembrances From Alabama's Renowned Tuskegee Institute

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The recipes in this book remind me so much of my great aunt's cooking-- and of family stories of my grandmother's extravagant 5-course Sunday dinners-- dinners that featured the best of southern home cooking that you'll never find in a restaurant-- dinners that most people do not take time to make in our frantic 21st century lifestyle.

If you've ever had that kind of dinner-- and you've tried to duplicate that good taste (and never got the recipe because your aunt or grandmother just "added a little somethin'"), it's likely you'll find that special recipe here. The book is also a valuable historical lesson-- accented with photographs and historical accounts about George Washington Carver , the Tuskeegee Institute, and other black historical figures. My only caution is that some of the recipes (such as Dr. Carver's Sliced Sweet Potato Pie) don't give exact measurements, so someone who doesn't know their way around the kitchen might have to call a more experienced cook for a little advice.

I discovered this book recently and was truly moved by the beauty of the spirit, and the richness of the culture in which the style of cooking contained in the recipes evolved. There's something unusually special here.

When I saw this cookbook on the shelves I knew immediately it would become the centerpiece in my collection of cookbooks. I have tried several of the recipes, and found them all to be excellent. As a former student of Tuskegee Institute, I truly appreciate the historical referances found in the book. The African-American Heritage Cookbook has earned it's place as my personal favorite. Carolyn, thanks for the memories and the SOUL FOOD.

As a Southerner who enjoys our heritage in cooking, I ordered this book eagerly, based on prior reviews and the description.

This book gives a somewhat cursory history of Tuskegee Institute, along with some photographs. Included are recipes from Dr. Carver.

In my opinion, the greatest disappointment with this book is its incomplete documentation of the rest of the recipes. Where did they come from, or from whom? In a book that blends recipes with history, this is a significant flaw. Certainly, some of the recipes, such as Guacamole dip and El Paso cheese dip, don't sound authentic to Tuskegee. Again, who knows? Historical collections of recipes should credit these recipes to someone, or simply state that a recipe is 'traditional'.

I buy cookbooks to read as much as cook from. This book is organized with narration in italics mixed with the recipes. For me, it makes the book more difficult to read.

(...)

While visiting with an elderly lady, I mentioned that my great grandmother went to Tuskegee Institute. She showed me this cookbook. I had to have one of my own. I think this book is excellent for those who want to learn how to cook those southern dishes that "grandma" or "aunt so-and-so" used to make.

Although I am a pretty good southern cook, some of the dishes I had forgotten about. I think the most impressive recipe was "Pokeweed". I know it as "poke salad", but I instantly recognized it. I have never cooked it personally, but years ago I had thought about cooking it many times. At the time I did not know you had to boil it and disgard the water because it has toxins in it. If I had made it years ago before I knew better, I would have been sick. To me, the addition of that one recipe seemed to put it in a category the covers "ALL" types of southern cuisine.

I ordered mine today, and I can't wait to read it from cover to cover. I spent over an hour reading my friends book. I ordered one for my mother also.

The real clincher for me was the fact that my great grandmother went there. She graduated in 1917. I searched those photos, and wondered if one of those girls was her. I felt such a bond to that book. I brought back all the memories of her stories of Dr. Carver and the peanuts. In one of her many stories, she told me that she didn't realized at the time that history was being made, and that they were more interested in eating the peanuts than learning how to make perfume from them.

This book would be an excellent wedding gift for a young couple. Or even those that find themselves trying to prepare "family holiday" meals for the first time. It brings back memories!!!

This is a beautiful cookbook about recipes from an illustrious institution -- and the recipes look excellent. My one and only quibble is that there were no introductions preceding the recipes. IMHO, those make my other African-American cookbooks unbelievably special and priceless to me. However, to be fair, I'm neither southern nor African-American, so probably need the intros more than most people would. And the descriptions of Tuskeegee are wonderful; this is a lovely book -- it just didn't give me the warm fuzzies I usually get from African-American cookbooks.

"The African-American Heritage Cookbook" is a superb collection of about 200 recipes "from Alabama's Renowned Tuskegee Institute". Everything is here, from soup to nuts, or actually from "Beverages", "Appetizers", "Soups and Salads" to "Main Dishes", "On the Side", "Vegetables", then "Breads", and "Desserts". The recipes are excellent, and they are of a tremendous variety and range: from fancy foods like "Spicy Papaya Salsa with Grilled Shrimp", to big dishes like "Roast Turkey and Giblet Gravy" and "Sunday Pot Roast", to modest recipes (from a time and place where the people had to eat everything from the pig except the oink) like "Pigs Feet in Tomato Sauce" and "Neck Bones and Rice". There are also historic and rare recipes, like "Pokeweed", "Sorrel Soup" and "Hoe Cakes". (Also a few that seem more like modern favorites than historic Tuskegee Institute traditions.) Some of the recipes are word-for-word from the publications of George Washington Carver. In addition, there is plenty of introductory text and old photos to put it all into a cultural and historic context. There is an index of the recipes. A worthy addition to any cookbook bookself.

I really enjoy cooking from this book. The recipes are easy to follow and the historical tidbits in between are very interesting. I've recommended this cookbook to my dad and he loves it as well.

This cookbook is chock full of old time recipes. There are wonderful pictures and pieces of history that are long forgotten and shouldn't be. It is great!!
I originally bought this for a co-worker and since buying the first one, I have been bombarded by others who have seen it. Each person wants one. It includes recipes that anyone who has ever had southern cooking will love! This makes a great gift.....for yourself and others.

Not only are the recipes very good - the stories that go with them are priceless and I enjoyed the pictures associated with them as well.
Very educational. I read cookbooks like novels anyway - so this was a special treat. A friend of my had one and showed me before I bought mine. Usually I read theirs and that's it. I had to own this cookbook to go back to whenever I wanted. Excellent.