Staff Pick
Bress ’n’ Nyam is Gullah Geechee for “bless and eat.” CheFarmer (chef and farmer) Matthew Raiford raises food on the land that has been farmed by his family for six generations. This is as much a history of community as it is a cookbook about the lineage of African foodways. One of the first recipes in the book is for Reezy-Peezy, which I made for dinner. After having just one bite my husband said, “This is exactly what I was hoping to eat for dinner.” In the midst of a pandemic, that is a satisfying compliment. Thank you CheFarmer Raiford. Recommended By Tracey T., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
More than 100 heirloom recipes from a dynamic chef and farmer working the lands of his great-great-great grandfather.
From Hot Buttermilk Biscuits and Sweet Potato Pie to Salmon Cakes on Pepper Rice and Gullah Fish Stew, Gullah-Geechee food is an essential cuisine of American history. It is the culinary representation of the ocean, rivers, and rich fertile loam in and around the coastal South. From the Carolinas to Georgia and Florida, this is where descendants of enslaved Africans came together to make extraordinary food, speaking the African Creole language called Gullah-Geechee.
In this groundbreaking and beautiful cookbook, Matthew Raiford pays homage to this cuisine that nurtured his family for seven generations. In 2010, Raiford's Nana handed over the deed to the family farm to him and his sister, and Raiford rose to the occasion, nurturing the farm that his great-great-great grandfather, a freed slave, purchased in 1874. In this collection of heritage and updated recipes, he traces a history of community and family brought together by food.
About the Author
Matthew Raiford was named a 2018 James Beard Award semifinalist and has been featured in the New York Times, Southern Living, and more.
Amy Paige Condon coauthored the New York Times best-selling The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook.