Customer Reviews

Soul Food: Classic Cuisine from the Deep South

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

You might call this a "complete" book on authentic soul food cooking. Sheila Ferguson outlines the history and origins of soul food, and the importance it placed in the Southern home. She gives intriguing historical details, as well as mildly entertaining anecdotes of her family, and their traditions. Best of all, Ferguson has a wonderful sense of humor, and the delightful exaggerations of expressions are charmingly all in good fun. The recipes themselves are explained with breezy enthusiasm, and are carefully outlined, so that the novice on soul food cooking is led in all the right directions. Everything I've made has proved outstanding; the buttermilk biscuits recipe is the best ever - they were high, light and fluffy. And by the way: unlike many other Southern type cookbooks, which disappointingly advocate using only chemically altered, bland shortening in recipes, Ferguson freely uses lard, bacon fat and butter. It's unbelievable how much better, and lighter textured biscuits and pie crusts are with lard. The BBQ sauce is the best I've ever had, flavorful, rich and satisfying. It was good to know about how to cook greens, and Ferguson certainly espouses their value highly. When it comes to fried chicken one won't find a better guide than here: nothing is left to chance, and the cook won't go wrong following these pointed instructions. In short, this book "sold me" and then some, on soul food - highly recommended.

I have many cookbooks and this is one of my new favorites! My step-mom bought the last store copy as a Christmas present for my sister. After flipping through its pages, my step-mother and I decided we each MUST have this book...I ended up getting it for Christmas from someone else and now I'm buying it for my step-mom. With that being said, the best Red Beans and Rice recipe that I ever made, came from this book! The only way to make cornbread is by baking it in a cast iron skillet and although I have a great recipe of my own, Ms. Ferguson's recipe is superb!

a white friend cooked up some great soul food. How'd you do this I demanded. she showed me the book. ALL my childhood favorites were in there, everyone I could think of to look up. I bought the book within the week.

As a fellow native of the East Coast I found "Sheila Fergusons Classic Cuisine from the Deep South" heart warming and authentic to the region. When I looked at the photographs of her family I felt like I could have been looking through my own family albums. The only difficulty I had with the book is that
some of the recipes failed or where hit or miss, particularly baked goods, which may indicate poor directions or inaccurate measurements. With greater consideration for accuracy this book could be truelly outstanding, but as it stands it brilliantly encapsulates a particular regional cuisine, with text illuminated by fascinating photographs, while containing recipes that work well only occassionally.

As a person who enjoy reading cookbooks I really enjoyed the stories and recipes shared by the author. The recipes were layed out with easy to follow directions with room to adjust your seasoning to suite your families taste. Most of the recipes I've tried were very clear and flavorful. I think this cookbook would be an asset to any cookbook collection.

The southern recipes are accurate to a fault. This is authentic soul food cuisine. I have found that sometimes I have had to reduce some of the richer ingredients for a "healthier" meal. This is the first cook book I have used that you can just follow the recipe and you do not have to add a thing. The flavoring is just right!

I've had this cookbook for several years and have referred to it numerous times for a refersher on stuff my grandma used to cook. If you're unfamiliar with southern cooking you'll find the directions easy to follow. If you're pretty comfortable with the style but need suggestions on how to improve a recipe or remember what basic ingredients are needed it's great. Additionally, the book tells the story of this family. My husband, who is from south Georgia, found himself getting homesick and hungry just reading it. Enjoy!

The best BBQ sauce recipe I've ever found! Full of inspiration. I'm not one for following recipies -- I prefer to cook 'by the seat of my pants' -- but there are loads of them here that I've used over and over, and many more that have inspired other dishes I've done.

I purchased this book years ago and recently misplaced it and just ordered another copy. I enjoy the recipes, the short stories... it's good reading and the recipes are very good. Brings back memories from the south.

IVE TRIED MANY A COOK BOOK BUT THIS ONE GIVES SOLID RECIPES AND IT KEEPS THEM COMING BACK FOR MORE I FIRST FOUND THIS BOOK IN A LIBRARY AND MANY PAGES WERE MISSING SO I WENT OUT AND BOUGHT THE BOOK IM SO HAPPY I DID BECAUSE I CAN FIND SOMETHIG DELICOUS TO COOK ALL THE TIME