Synopses & Reviews
Praise for James Villas and The Glory of Southern Cooking"This book is a must for anyone who loves good food, or loves to cook, or who just enjoys wonderful writing. It couldn't be better from a master cook and writer."
—Barbara Kafka
"There're a lot of books on Southern cooking knocking around, but this one's a real keeper. James Villas knows his stuff, maybe better than anyone else in the field. His text is charming, his information fascinating, his recipes good and true. After reading this book, I now believe, as Villas maintains, that Southern American Cooking is our one legitimate regional cuisine."
—Paula Wolfert
"Because Jim Villas understands the subtleties of the complex Southern culture, he is singular in his ability to translate southern cooking into The Glory of Southern Cooking."
—Louis Osteen Louis's at Pawleys & The Fish Camp Bar
"This long overdue compendium covers the South like the dew—state by state, kitchen by kitchen. Jim Villas deconstructs the mechanics, preserves the myth, and wallows in the glory of Southern cooking. Both an invaluable historical overview and contemporary exploration, this book is a must, not just for Southerners everywhere, but for anyone interested in serious food—and great storytelling. Jim Villas is a national treasure."
—Julia Reed author of Queen of the Turtle Derby and Other Southern Phenomena
"Jim Villas was born to write The Glory of Southern Cooking, and this wonderful book is as much about keeping the faith as it is the best ever written about this highly regional cuisine."
—John Mariani, author of The Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink
"In case of fire, grab James Villas's book The Glory of Southern Cooking, and run out the door. It will not be necessary to replace any other cook- books in your library because this one provides a lifetime of great food."
—Jane and Michael Stern authors of Road food and Contributing Editors of Gourmet magazine
"James Villas has long been a terrific food journalist and a proud, irascible Suth'ner. Now, he's finally put his cultural bias to brilliant use. Whether he's supplying recipes for familiar stuff (she-crab soup, biscuits with gravy) or oddities from eras past (Charleston hobotee, anyone?), he makes a convincing case for Southern cooking as a great cuisine."
—David Kamp author of The United States of Arugula
Review
Villas, the former food and wine editor of
Town & Country and the author of 12 cookbooks, explores the distinctive cuisine of Southern cooking. Villas sees Southern cookery as the only legitimate cuisine in this county, being on the same level with French and Italian home cooking. His collection spans the entirety of the Southern states, including recipes for such classics as fried chicken, pork barbecue, and grits and greens, and lesser known dishes such as Baked Oysters with Mustard Greens and Bacon, Nashville Turnip Greens with Ham Hock, and Memphis Casserole Cheese Bread. Recipes highlight the abundance of natural food ingredients found in the South as well as the multitude of ethnic influences that contributed to the cuisine's evolution. Chapters include Cocktail and Tea Foods; Soups, Chowders, and Gumbos; Rice and Grits; and Cornbread, Biscuits, Hush Puppies, and Other Breads. Villas also provides helpful sections on equipment, ingredients, special cooking techniques, and a glossary of terms for those unfamiliar with the cuisine. This is a solid primer for those who like comfort food or have an interest in Southern cooking.
(Mar.) (
Publishers Weekly, February 5, 2007)
Villas, the food and wine editor of Town & Country for many years and author of a dozen other cookbooks, is a Southerner born and bred, and here he returns to the food he knows and loves best. He asserts that Southern cooking, "if only by the sheer number and variety of its dishes developed over the centuries," is a more identifiable regional cuisine than that of any other part of America, and he makes a good case here. He includes recipes for almost 400 beloved traditional dishes, lesser-known indigenous specialties, and contemporary dishes from some of the South's best young chefs, and his lively, opinionated text is both informed and a pleasure to read. An essential purchase for culinary history as well as regional cookery collections. (Library Journal, February 2007)
Already well established as one of America's leading proponents of southern cooking, Villas has produced one of the great definitive volumes on a subject near and dear to the hearts and stomachs of a huge number of Americans. For Villas, southern cooking includes everything from Key West specialties to Cajun and Creole casserole, through Carolina low-country seafood and on up as far as Maryland. To Villas' great credit, he avoids using canned products except for in a very few recipes, such as a North Carolina eggplant casserole. Multiple fried chicken recipes reflect different geographic traditions and so do varieties of biscuits. Cakes, pastries, candies, and other sweets abound. Serious cooks will appreciate the host of pickles and other relishes for canning. A glossary helps the uninitiated rapidly find apt distinctions between angel biscuits and beaten biscuits, between Cajun and Creole cooking, and between a bog and a burgoo. Villas also provides mail-order sources for specialized southern foodstuffs.
—Mark Knoblauch (BookList, February 2007)
Synopsis
Highlighting the best in Southern regional cookery, an award-winning writer presents a tempting array of nearly four hundred authentic recipes for both traditional and new Southern dishes, including everything from buttermilk biscuits, fried chicken, and pecan pie to innovative creations from some of the region's leading chefs.
Synopsis
From renowned food writer and proud Southerner James Villas comes the definitive Southern cookbook, featuring fascinating Southern lore, cooking tips, and 388 glorious recipes for any occasion. It includes traditional favorites, delicious regional specialties, and new recipes from some of the South’s most innovative chefs. The author of more than a dozen acclaimed books, Villas was the longtime food and wine editor at Town & Country and was named Bon Appétit’s Food Writer of the Year in 2004.
Synopsis
"As far as I'm concerned, Southern cookery is right there on the same level with French cuisine bourgeoise and Italian cucina caserecciathe sacred traditions, the incredible variety of regional dishes, the prevalence of fresh local ingredients, the distinctive cooking techniques, everything."
James Villas
No one is more passionate about Southern cooking than James Villas, who has written eloquently about barbecue, Brunswick stew, grits, fried okra, and other Southern specialties throughout his long and distinguished career as a food writer and an editor at Town & Country magazine. Now, Villas has at last written the cookbook he was always meant to writethe definitive compendium of classic and modern Southern recipes.
The Glory of Southern Cooking is a labor of lovea book that draws on Villas's fond food memories from his North Carolina boyhood and his lifelong quest for the tastiest Southern fare. In it, you'll find Villas's authentic recipes for familiar Southern favorites, such as fried chicken, pork barbecue, collard greens, cornbread, and cobblers. But you'll also discover thoroughly delicious regional specialties, many of which are largely unknown outside the locale where they originatedSouth Carolina Frogmore Stew, Florida Conch Fritters, Mississippi Fried Dill Pickles, and Tennessee Monkey Bread, to name a few. To top it all off, Villas also includes exciting new dishes from some of the South's most esteemed and innovative chefs, including Louis Osteen, Frank Stitt, Ben and Karen Barker, Paul Prudhomme, Paula Dean, Emeril Lagasse, and the late Edna Lewis.
This celebration of Southern food offers 388 glorious recipes for every meal and occasioneverything from tea foods, chowders, and casseroles to barbecue, desserts, and pickles. Villas introduces each recipe with a lively, informative, and opinionated headnote packed with history, lore, and plenty of cooking tips. Complete with sixteen pages of striking color photographs, a full glossary of Southern culinary terms, and expert advice on equipment, ingredients, and special cooking techniques, The Glory of Southern Cooking is a must-have kitchen companion for everyone who loves great food.
Synopsis
The definitive Southern cookbook from renowned food writer James Villas From James Villas comes this definitive Southern cookbook, featuring fascinating Southern lore, cooking tips, and 388 glorious recipes for any occasion. It includes traditional favorites, delicious regional specialties, and new recipes from some of the South's most famous and innovative chefs, like Louis Osteen and Paul Prudhomme.
Comprehensive and authoritative, the book features favorites like buttermilk biscuits, fried chicken, grits, cornbread, and pecan pie. Plus, Villas includes colorful stories, anecdotes, and Southern lore throughout the book, adding the kind of local color and charm you'd only get in the South and only from a writer like Villas.
- Includes delicious and authentic Southern recipes for everything from cocktail and tea foods to main courses and desserts
- Features lists of ingredients, equipment, and Southern terms non-natives will want to know
- Written by James Villas, proud North Carolina native, and author of Pig and From the Ground Up
All across the South, from Maryland to Louisiana and everywhere in between, food is culture. Dig into it with James Villas and enjoy The Glory of Southern Cooking for yourself.
About the Author
JAMES VILLAS was the food and wine editor of Town & Country magazine for twenty-seven years. His work has also appeared in Esquire, Food & Wine, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Saveur, The New York Times, and the Atlantic Monthly, among other publications. Two of his cookbooks have been nominated for a James Beard Award, and he has won a James Beard Award for journalism, and received Bon Appetit's Food Writer of the Year Award in 2004. Villas is the author of more than a dozen cookbooks and books on food.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements.
Preface.
Introduction.
Equipment.
Ingredients.
Special Cooking Techniques.
A Southern Glossary.
Cocktail and Tea Foods.
Appetizers.
Eggs and Salads.
Soups, Chowders, and Gumbos.
Stews and Casseroles.
Meats.
Poultry and Game.
Seafood.
Barbecue.
Vegetables.
Rice and Grits.
Cornbread, Biscuits, Hush Puppies, and Other Breads.
Desserts.
Pickles, Relishes, and Preserves.
Beverages.