First published 2025
Acclaimed historian Michael W. Twitty argues that Southern cuisine cannot be captured by any single state or region. His collection spans from Louisiana's bayous to the Chesapeake Bay, gathering over 260 beloved regional dishes across more than 400 pages. Twitty presents the full culinary range that Southern history and its diverse cultures created. The recipes cover breads, biscuits, main courses, sides, stews, sauces, and desserts, each with detailed headnotes and clear instructions. Home cooks will find famous dishes like Chicken and Dumplings, She-crab Soup, Red Eye Gravy, Benne Seed Wafers, Hummingbird Cake, and Mint Juleps paired with regional specialties including Shrimp Pilau, Chorizo Dirty Rice, Sumac Lemonade, and Cajun Pig's Ears Pastry. Twitty weaves together his recipe collection with carefully researched essays that honor the region's multicultural blend of global immigrant influences. Food photography complements the cultural narrative throughout.
Genres: history, american, cooking, cookbooks, cultural-studies, food-history
Vibes: celebratory, culturally-rich, educational, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: cultural-narrative, recipe-collection, regional-diversity
Setting: American South, Louisiana, Chesapeake Bay
432 pages · Hardcover · Phaidon Press