The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery (Paperback)

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

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
More than simply a cookbook, The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery combines unpretentious, delectable recipes with the wit and wisdom of those who have prepared and eaten such foods for generations. Drawn from the wealth of material gathered by Foxfire students, this engaging volume evokes the foodways of a southern Appalachian community.

Illustrated with photographs of the kitchens, people, and foods of Appalachia, this captivating collection contains more than 500 recipes. A sampling of favorites includes rhubarb cobbler, sassafras tea, fried quail, Brunswick stew, angel flake biscuits, seven-day cole slaw, and lime pickles. The book also explains traditional methods of preparing and preserving food, including directions for making homemade yeast, curing pork, 'gritting' corn, canning foods, cooking with a wood stove or fireplace, and preparing wild game.

Originally published in 1984, the cookbook earned high praise from both food editors and folklorists. It returns with its bounty of practical information and personal recollections as an outstanding record of a folk heritage.

From the Inside Flap
More than simply a cookbook, The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery combines unpretentious, delectable recipes with the wit and wisdom of those who have prepared and eaten such foods for generations. Drawn from the wealth of material gathered by Foxfire students, this engaging volume evokes the foodways of a southern Appalachian community.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press (October 31, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807843954
• ISBN-13: 978-0807843956
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #275,583 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 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 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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!

23 of 23 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 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!

22 of 22 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 (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

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.