The 1958 cookbook by the National Council of Negro Women, the “Historical Cookbook of the American Negro,” opens with a photograph of Sojourner Truth and Abraham Lincoln, opposite recipes for the first of January: “Emancipation Proclamation Breakfast Cake” and “Western Beef Steak” from Denver. “The Emancipation Proclamation New Years’ Day, 1863, is celebrated in all…
From Beef Broth to Banana Fritters, one of my favorite cookbooks to turn to for everyday recipes is “300 Years of Black Cooking in St. Mary’s County.” No book better encapsulates the range of delicious fare produced in the kitchens of Maryland’s home cooks. As much as I love “Maryland’s Way” and “Eat, Drink &…
Cooking from “300 Years of Black Cooking in St. Mary’s County” always provides an opportunity for excursions into some neglected aspects of Maryland cuisine (both regionally and racially). This week I made a simple recipe for a scalloped potato dish, a comforting winter side. The recipe author: Julia Courtney? I’ve tried my best. As I’ve…
“In a year of low incomes from cotton, such as 1934, tenants speak of their [winter] store of sweet potatoes in terms which make it clear that they regard this store as life itself. A man’s sweet potatoes are his banked resources, his protection against starvation and destitution until advances begin in the spring.” –…
A few weeks ago, while the snow was still coming down, with nowhere to go, I forced myself to do something that I haven’t done since the internet ostensibly put all of history at our fingertips: I called a stranger. The purpose of my call was to reach anyone involved in the cookbook “300 Years…