In the days before food processors and microwave ovens, Southern cooking was not just a feast of flavors, it was a craft of artisans. Old-Time Southern Cooking by Laurie Strickland and Elizabeth Dunn attempts to recapture the traditional manner of cooking and eating in the South from the late 1800s until World War II.

The authors have modernized these recipes in only one respect-by the mere fact that they have written them down. Many an original recipe has long since passed on with its creator, but Strickland and Dunn have preserved more than 125 classics of the Southern dinner table, mixed with stories and techniques as told by the contributors.

Some of the expected arrivals include Grits, Fried Ham with Red-Eye Gravy, Corn Bread, Fried Green Tomatoes, and Chicken and Dumplings. But one might not expect to see Wild Muscadine Jelly, Poke Salad, and Sweet Tater Pone. Grouped into four categories-breakfast, weekdays, Sunday dinner, and special occasions-these are authentic recipes just as they were done generations ago in homes everywhere throughout the South. According to Bob Bowman, author of Plant Watermelons on My Grave and Let the Juice Ooze Down, this book is “an absolute delight” and “well worth lapping a lip over.”

Laurie Strickland

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