The Food, Folklore, and Art of Lowcountry Cooking: A Celebration of the Foods, History, and Romance Handed Down from England, Africa, the Caribbean, France, Germany, and Scotland [Hardcover]

Joseph Dabney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2010

The perfect gift for Southerners, history lovers, and foodies alike.

Discover the secrets of one of the most mysterious, romantic regions in the South: the Lowcountry. James Beard Cookbook of the Year Award-winning author Joe Dabney produces another gem with this comprehensive celebration of Lowcountry cooking. Packed with history, authoritative folklore, photographs, and fascinating sidebars, Dabney takes readers on a tour of the Coastal Plain, including Charleston, Savannah, and Beaufort, the rice plantations, and the sea islands. Includes:

• Benne Seed Biscuits
• Sweet Potato Pie
• Frogmore Stew
• She Crab Soup
• Brunswick Stew
• Hoppin' John
• Oyster Purloo
• Cooter Soup
• Hags Head Cheese
• Goobers
• And much, much more!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Even a dyed-in-the-wool Yankee will feel like a local after conquering Dabney's voluminous follow-up to his James Beard-winning Appalachian cookbook Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread and Scuppernong Wine. Digging deep, Dabney explores the culinary traditions and folklore of the coastal plain that runs from South Carolina into Georgia, from colonization to today. Tracing the lineage of the iconic dishes like Frogmore Stew and She Crab Soup, Dabney combines research and first-person interviews to create a rich portrait of the land and people. Quick to laud the contributions of slaves for many of the region's favorite dishes and key ingredients (like okra and peanuts), not to mention plenty of local characters, Dabney immerses culinary carpetbaggers via guided tours of cities like Savannah and Charleston, including a helpful guide to Charleston dialect ("Minuet: You and I have dined"). Though the book's scope may intimidate some-recipes and key dishes are woven into the text rather than set apart-diners who want to eat like a Low Country local will find plenty of suggestions here for crab cakes, sweet tea, pimento cheese, oyster roasts, hoppin' John, pig roasts, and fried chicken, along with plenty of sides and accompaniments.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Dabney's writing is lively, the recipes are varied and promising, and the personalities are colorful. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Cumberland House (May 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402230982
• ISBN-13: 978-1402230981
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 1.5 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #323,635 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If you want to know about the Lowcountry, this is the book January 1, 2011

By William F. Fox

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I grew up in the Lowcountry and have many books and cookbooks about it. This is one of the best. While a few facts differed from Lowcountry common wisdom, I learned a lot. The recipes are great and many were dishes I thought were long lost. I highly recommend this book. It is authentic and a great read.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Low country food and stories June 9, 2010

By wogan TOP 50 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

This book is not just a cookbook, but more of a celebration of life in the Lowcountry. There are inserts of history, such as the Swamp Fox and General Oglethorpe's victory over the Spanish in 1742. Chapters tell of the rice plantations, the Gullah, and the mystique of the Lowcountry. Included is Carolina Gold, the West African connection, historic Charleston, Savannah, and Beaufort. Recipes included are: Lowcountry beverages, hors d'oeuvres, seafood, rice, soups, stews, and gumbos, benne seeds, peanuts, pork, chicken, vegetables, corn and spoon bread, grits, wild game, and desserts.
There is a dictionary of Charltonese (bare=a beverage made from barley and hops, flow=what you stand on, true="he true the ball").
Joe Dabney, who is a James Beard Cookbook of the Year winner brings a volume of recipes and stories. There is an equal amount of both. It is a trip to the Lowcountry.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Beaufort by the Sea! May 16, 2011

By Laura Stokes

Format:Hardcover

I came across this book at our local book fair and had to have it. I currently live in Tennessee. From the moment I cracked the cover of this amazing book, I was in wonderland. Its been almost seventeen years since I left Beaufort but my family and friends still live there. I don't visit often enough. I've heard a lot of the stories and have visited many of the places and this fantastic book makes me long to go home.