Description: This cookbook, with integrated brief essays, was a regional bestseller for the University Press of Mississippi when it was published in 1989. Republished now with a new introduction, the book collects a fine black cook's recipes from a hard-scrabble heritage of surviving and enduring while rejoicing in the family ties that bind. The foods that Kathy Starr describes rise from the common experiences of Deep South blacks, who established a distinctive style of cooking, often with make-do ingredients. Its "soul," the author confides, comes from the art of simmering. Its heritage is preserved here in a collection that captures the essence of black foodways in the American South.
Review Quotes: There's more to Southern cooking than a lot of deep frying--there's soul. The Soul of Southern Cooking offers a from-the-heart explanation of what Southern cooking really is, followed by countless recipes for delicious dishes that are commonly known as soul food. Giving thorough and unique directions for soul food-style renditions of dishes such as macaroni and cheese, cheeseburgers, collard greens, and more, The Soul of Southern Cooking is a top pick for anyone who wants a cookbook with heart and for community library cookbook collections.-- "The Midwest Book Review"