Kwanzaa: An African American Celebration Of Culture And Cooking [Paperback]

Eric V. Copage (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 27, 1993

Kwanzaa: An African-American Celebration of Culture and Cooking is the only complete guide to the history and foods of Kwanzaa. In this beautiful yet practical book, there are recipes for more than 125 treasured dishes from people of African descent living all over the world. Adorned with biographies of distinguished African Americans, proverbs, and folk tales that illustrate the seven principles of Kwanzaa (Nguzo Saba), Kwanzaa embodies the very spirit of the holiday itself: a culinary celebration and a testimony to the accomplishments and spirit of African Americans throughout history.

This is more than just a book for a holiday. It is a cookbook and a source of inspiration to be used all year long.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA-- Upon initial inspection, this book seems to be more of a fine cookbook than a resource for celebrating Kwanzaa. However, a closer examination shows that its recipes, as wonderful as they are, are secondary to the information about this holiday. The recipes themselves, from African and Caribbean countries as well as the United States, include dishes such as the Ethiopian chicken stew, Doro Wat; Shrimp Creole Fettucine; and a Jamaican iced tea, along with at least 100 others. Copage gives a short history of Kwanzaa and explains why more than five million Americans take part in this seven-day celebration in December. The real treasures, however, are his interesting stories of persons such as King Askiga Muhammad, whose reign of 36 years, starting in 1493, restored the city of Timbuktu to its status ``as a world center.'' Several African folktales as well as short biographies of people such as Frederick Douglass and Fannie Lou Hamer help to make the reading interesting and informative. A tremendous resource book.
- Paul McKendrick, W.T. Woodson High Sch . , Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Journalist and author of Kwanzaa: An African American Celebration of Culture and Cooking (Morrow, 1991), Copage provides a theme, a brief quotation from an African proverb or an African American (from Sojourner Truth to Bill Cosby, Muhammed Ali to Oprah Winfrey), a short meditation or explication, together with a suggested affirmation or action, for each day of the year. These meditations are psychological and spiritual, for people of any religious tradition--or none. Sometimes they deal with issues, such as invisibility to whites, special to African Americans, but often the meditations are deeply human, applicable to anyone, in the best self-help tradition. Essential for all public libraries and recommended for all seminary libraries.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (October 27, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688128351
• ISBN-13: 978-0688128357
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 7.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,127,219 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A CULTURAL FEAST, December 10, 2000

By 

Bonita L. Davis - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kwanzaa: An African American Celebration Of Culture And Cooking (Paperback)

Kwanzaa is rapidly approaching and as with all holidays requires detailed preparation. Contained in these pages are all the components you need for a meaningful Kwanzaa celebration with ritual and food.

Eric Copage shares with us the origins of Kwanzaa as well as his own experiences in first celebrating the holiday. We are introduced to the seven princples of Kwanzaa and the relevance that it has for the African-American community.

You can't have a true celebration unless good tasting food is present. At the very heart of the book are over 120 recipes for you to prepare for the Kwanzaa feast. The recipes are samples from Africans throughout the diaspora. Indulge yourself with pigeon peas and rice from the Caribbean. Avocado mousse with shrimp sauce from Brazil will tantilize your taste buds. A pot of mustard greens from "down home" (the South) in the United States will fill your belly. And let us not forget spicy matoke from Kenya. If you mouth is not watering yet for these delicious treats then something must be wrong with your taste buds.

The above dishes are easy to make and you are provided with suggested menus for the feast. If by chance some of the unusual ingredients are not available in your local grocery store, never fear. Mail order resources are provided for you in the book. As Kwanzaa approaches enjoy the friendship, food and celebration but must of all stand firm with the principles which bind us together as a people. Enjoy! Happy Celebration.

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional collection of Ethnic Recipes from Around the World, February 7, 2011

By 

Rabiprieta "BDT" (California) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Kwanzaa: An African American Celebration Of Culture And Cooking (Paperback)

Excellent authentic recipes from Latin America, The Caribbean, South America and the U.S. brought by Africans in Colonial era and enjoyed by their decendants around the World today.

5.0 out of 5 stars MUCH MORE THAN A "KWANZAA COOKBOOK" (ALTHOUGH IT IS ALSO THAT), December 20, 2010

By 

Steven H. Propp (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kwanzaa: An African American Celebration Of Culture And Cooking (Paperback)

Eric Copage's book mostly (all but about thirty pages) consists of recipes suggested for the Kwanzaa celebration. However, in the introductory pages to this 1991 book, he also has a great deal of concise information about the holiday.

Here are some quotations from the book:

"Kwanzaa means 'first fruits of the harvest' in Swahili, but there is no festival of that name in any African society." (Pg. xiii)
"Kwanzaa, which runs from December 26 to New Year's Day, does not replace Christmas and is not a religious holiday. (We now celebrate both." (Pg. xiii-xiv)
"Since the celebration of Kwanzaa is only a quarter of a century old this year, it is still very dynamic." (Pg. xxiv)