The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery [Paperback]

Linda Garland Page (Editor), Eliot Wigginton (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 5, 1984

The Foxfire group are dedicated to preserving and recording the traditions of America's Appalachian area, and this book of over 500 recipes, with black and white photography of the people of the area, is a classic from them. The food is nutritious, easy to prepare, and totally unpretentious, including recipes for potato candy, cry-baby cookies, lime pickles, and much more.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

The Foxfire group are dedicated to preserving and recording the traditions of America's Appalachian area, and this book of over 500 recipes, with black and white photography of the people of the area, is a classic from them. The food is nutritious, easy to prepare, and totally unpretentious, including recipes for potato candy, cry-baby cookies, lime pickles, and much more. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Linda Garland Page, one of the original Foxfire students, is former director of the Foxfire Press.

Recognized as one of America's foremost educators, Eliot Wigginton founded the Foxfire program in Rabun Gap, Georgia. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 327 pages
• Publisher: E. P. Dutton, Inc.; 1st edition (November 5, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525481087
• ISBN-13: 978-0525481089
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,954,921 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History and Cooking: My Two Favorites Together!, October 20, 2001

By 

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

This review is from: The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery (Paperback)

I have bought many, many cookbooks not for cooking, but for reading. My favorite format in cookbooks are those where text is woven with recipes; it 'fleshes out' the recipes.

Anyone who has derived pleasure from reading the Foxfire series over the years will also want to buy this one. It follows the general Foxfire format, specialized for cooking. It will be of particular value for those young people interested in cooking. As becomes apparent, cooking in this country used to be quite different from what we consider it now. For most Americans, by the end of WW II kitchens had been transformed by the addition of running water and gas/electric powered appliances. My grandparents didn't get electricity in their rural location until 1948. Before then, there was a kerosene-powered refrigerator, gasoline-powered washer, and wood stove. It took longer for many in the Appalachian region, and 'old' cooking methods continued to be used. Fixing chicken, for example, meant killing and plucking, not going to the grocery store!

History always becomes more immediate when it can be related to 'real' people. The characters in this book come to life with the sensitive narration, and only grow in depth with re-reading.

I've tried some of the recipes in this book, especially those related to baking. All have worked well. Mere recipes, though, can't communicate the commitment and love that these people have given to their efforts.

This is a great book to read, and a good pathway to cooking methods of our ancestors. Comprehensive, and an excellent buy!

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book I use a lot, January 7, 2003

By 

MotherLodeBeth "MotherLodeBeth" (Sierras of California) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery (Hardcover)

Got this as a gift and what a treat it is proving to be. It is a book that is really helping me broaden my homesteading skills and I adore the running dialogue and photographs that show the how to's and bring back wonderful memories of growing up.

The recipes are good and easy and delicious and I like the discussion of how to dress out livestock and wild game as well as how to make crock pickles and things like sauerkraut which I love doing. I also like, but some people may be turned off by the meat section that deals with waste not want not, and how to make use of most of the animal one slaughters. Something my family knew well when I was growing up.

This is also a good book is someone simply wants to learn about how self sufficiency works and how most people used to live, especially in rural areas.

It is my favorite and most usable of all the Foxfire books.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is incredible... my all time favorite cookbook!, August 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery (Paperback)

This book is filled to the brim (or shall I say binding!) with old-fashioned recipes, fun facts and historical folklore. The authors interviewed many southern old-timers to gather their material and their book is truly authentic. As a southerner myself, although of a younger generation, I can attest to the validity and authenticity of its contents, and I find the book refreshing, entertaining and useful. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in southern cooking, folklore and/or food history!