Customer Reviews

Spoonbread & Strawberry Wine: Recipes and Reminiscences of a Family

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I've just ordered my third copy of this book, having worn out two little paperbacks. I bought my first copy many years ago and was captivated. This cookbook is a perfect blend of memories and recipies--one doesn't overpower the other. I've cooked most of the recipes in the book, and their cornbread recipe has become my standard for home and 'pot luck'. I've bought many copies of this book for gifts. Mine have been worn out from loaning to friends. A great achievement on the part of the writers. A book to keep.

I first came across the cookbook when I checked it out at my local library in Salinas, CA many years ago. It was the first cookbook that I had ever come across of it's kind. About three years ago I came across it again in an Afrocentric bookstore in Chicago and the memories I had of reading the family memories and testing the recipies came rushing back! I immediately bought one for myself this time. Since then, I have given it as gifts to several of my own family members and I am teaching my own children to make delicious food from the book. Now, I can proudly say that my sweet potatoe pie is to "live for" and is much requested by family & friends. Even more important than the recipies is the passing on of a rich family legacy and a perfect example of what a loving, supportive, strong family life is all about. "Spoonbread" relives the African American experience of yesteryear. One, which should not be forgotten.

Spoonbread and Strawberry Wine's mostly excellent recipes have delighted my family for more than fourteen years. Many of the recipes, such as the like-no-other macaroni and cheese, banana pudding, and pineapple upside-down cupcakes have become "my" standards. This book, along with a basic Betty Crocker cookbook, taught me how to cook. A must-have for anyone wanting to serve hot, nourishing meals that keep everyone coming home!

I am so tired of cooking something out of this book and then have people try and steal it! :-) Honestly I ran across "Spoonbread and Strawberry Wine" many years ago when it was a paperback bought several copies as X-MAS presents. It's X-MAS time again and I getting ready to order several more... I still have my original paperback torn and tattered from use but it's the ONLY one I'll use when it comes to soul food.... EVERY recipe I have used has been off the chain.... from mac and chesse to pig feet it is ALL GOOD! **** This book also reflects the pride and love of a family for not only food but also for one another... the autobiographical features on family members will make you reflect on your own family.... very touching.... "Spoonbread" is truly a labor of love for food and especially FAMILY!

My book is old and literally falling apart because whenever I reach for it to get a recipe, I end up down nostalgia lane as I get lost (again) in the lives of this incredibly beautiful family. It is my very favorite cookbook, and I have a large collection of very good cookbooks. The recipes are true vintage soul food at its finest. It will help establish you as a cook who takes second place to NOBODY. You hear me?

I came across this book over 12 years ago while searching for a book on southern cooking. I was trying to duplicate a friend's recipe for Southern Fried Chicken (she would not divulge the ingredients in her granny's recipe to anyone)! When I saw this book with its wonderful recipes and family remembrances I knew this was it. The first recipe I tried was the fried chicken, ofcourse - and - it was even better than my friend's. What a lovely book. The family remembrances are so touching. My copy was lost several years ago and I hope that the publisher will re-issue the mass market paper back again.

This 25th Anniversary Edition of SPOONBREAD AND STRAWBERRY WINE,
is much more than another cook-book of Southern cuisine. It is a tribute
to a one-of-a-kind family, told through soul-satisfying memories and
recipes; a classic collection of home cooking, remedies and reminiscences.
The inspiration for this book evolved from a family history project by
sisters Norma Jean and Carole in the late 1970s. After extensive travel
they had uncovered rare photographs and forgotten rituals of their
family's rich African American heritage, which they used to embellish the
recipes.

With warmth and animation the sisters introduce the pioneers who inspired
this book and their lives. Their grandfather, Papa Darden, a former slave
who sold his renowned strawberry wine for five cents a glass in his general
store. Aunt Lil, who made what she called tried-and-true homemade beauty
cream, and Aunt Maude, who could recall George Washington Carver's peanut
butter ice cream. SPOONBREAD AND STRAWBERRY WINE boasts of a rich family
history, herbal cures, health and beauty tips, but the centerpiece of
this special book is the feast of family recipes.

Norma Jean and Carole Darden have produced an event that is heartwarming,
fascinating and appetite-pleasing. I urge you to invest in a copy and share
a history that is as rich and succulent as the recipes that line the pages.

Reviewed by aNN
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

I truly loved the book. It was difficult to focus on the recipes without reading the autobiography of an affluent Africian American family. I learned to make those down-home mouth-watering dishes like "Big Mama" or Granny. It was truly an experience given the reason my older brother purchased the book for me in 1978 (Hardback). He said he needed to help a brother out since I could not cook. The recipes were delicious and very easy to follow.

The autobiography helps us to understand that in spite of what we hear and often see -- there was and still is many, many A-A who achieved a dream inspite of societal dictates.

Since 1978, I have purchased several paperback copies. The first paperback editions did not keep the autobiography and recipes separate. I am going to purchase the latest edition of the paperback for myself SINCE the hardback grew feet and disappeared to one of my loving family members home. Maybe that is their way of learning to cook incognito.

Although I own well over a thousand cookbooks, this is unequivocally my favorite. The recipes are tried-and-true family favorites, preceded by brief descriptions of what makes them so special. However, the family stories are incredibly moving and priceless. A blue-eyed blonde from the northeast, I never knew that Black Americans used to have major problems traveling, since they could not stay or eat in most establishments. Town preachers would help provide assistance -- which is how pastor's daughter Aretha Franklin met many celebrities as a child in Motown. The authors' own family is unbelievably impressive -- and all the more so when you realize that they started with NOTHING; absolutely awesome, and incredibly inspiring. This book provides a moving, inspiring, and awesome account of a century in the lives of a wonderful African-American family ANYONE would be honored to know, and would be WELL worthwhile for that, alone -- but the sensational recipes are equally precious; tried-and-true family favorites anyone would be proud to serve. I have often given this book as a gift, and the recipients love it as much as I do. Don't miss this one; it is truly extraordinary.

Spoonbread is more than a cookbook. It's the story of a remarkable family. The reader will learn more about black history from this cookbook than many people will from their history books in school. I've been using this book for years.