The kids and I just love Victuals: An Appalachian Journey, with Recipes by Ronni Lundy.
My Review:
Victuals is a photographic wonder, a delightful story about the history and current artists of Appalachian cookery. The recipes are rich and filling, full of seasonal and regional ingredients.
The heritage of Germans and Scots dot the North Georgia mountains where we would often take day trips or mini vacations. It was always fun to visit the bakeries and shops.
I grew up south of Atlanta, and most of my mother’s family are spread all over the valleys and plains of Georgia and the Carolinas. I can’t rightly claim this as my heritage, but many of the recipes are the same as what I grew up with in my grandmother’s and great aunt’s houses.
My girls especially loved the history and stories of the recipes. We now have names for some of our favorites that I make often: killed greens for fresh lettuces drizzled with seasoned bacon grease. Sallet (sautéed mixed greens) graces our table almost weekly. We all love Salmon Cakes.
We have some fun new recipe to try: Miner’s Goulash, Root & Sausage Pie, and some delectable desserts.
Some of the ingredients listed aren’t available where we currently live. Some ingredients are seasonal and regional. I’d love to visit some of the restaurants and shops listed in the book.
American cuisine is sometimes ridiculed by foodies, but there is a rich food culture in Appalachia that I am proud to call close to home.
About the Author:
Born in Corbin, Kentucky, Ronni Lundy has long chronicled the people of the hillbilly diaspora as a journalist and cookbook author. She is the former restaurant reviewer and music critic for The Courier-Journal in Louisville, former editor of Louisville Magazine, and has contributed to many national magazines. Her book Shuck Beans, Stack Cakes and Honest Fried Chicken was recognized by Gourmet magazine as one of six essential books on Southern cooking. In 2009, Lundy received the Southern Foodways Alliance Craig Claiborne Lifetime Achievement Award. She has contributed to Eating Well, Gourmet, Bon Appétit, Esquire, and other magazines.
Summary:
Victuals is an exploration of the foodways, people, and places of Appalachia. Written by Ronni Lundy, regarded as the most engaging authority on the region, the book guides us through the surprisingly diverse history–and vibrant present–of food in the Mountain South.
Victuals explores the diverse and complex food scene of the Mountain South through recipes, stories, traditions, and innovations. Each chapter explores a specific defining food or tradition of the region–such as salt, beans, corn (and corn liquor). The essays introduce readers to their rich histories and the farmers, curers, hunters, and chefs who define the region’s contemporary landscape. Sitting at a diverse intersection of cuisines, Appalachia offers a wide range of ingredients and products that can be transformed using traditional methods and contemporary applications. Through 80 recipes and stories gathered on her travels in the region, Lundy shares dishes that distill the story and flavors of the Mountain South.
Awards:
— Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Best Cookbooks of 2016
— Chicago Tribune: Best Cookbooks of 2016
— Cooking Light: Fall Cookbook Roundup, September issue
— Louisville Courier-Journal: Cookbook Gift Guide
— San Fransisco Chronicle: “Best of” Cookbook Roundup
— The Kitchn: Holiday Cookbook Roundup
— Tampa Bay Times: Cookbook Gift Guide
— Tasting Table: The Most Exciting New Cookbooks for Fall
— Tasting Table: Holiday Cookbook Gift Guide
— Wall Street Journal: Holiday Gift Guide: Food Books
— Washington Post: Best Cookbooks of 2016
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
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