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Praisesong for the kitchen ghosts : stories and recipes from five generations of Black country cooks

Title: Praisesong for the kitchen ghosts : stories and recipes from five generations of Black country cooks / Crystal Wilkinson ; photographs by Kelly Marshall.
Author: Wilkinson, Crystal
Publication: New York : Clarkson Potter/Publishers, [2024]

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Status	Format	Access	Call Number	Item Location
Request for On-site Use Not available - Please for assistance.	Text	Use in library	Sc E 24-121	Schomburg Center - Research & Reference

Details

Additional Authors

Marshall, Kelly (Photographer)

Description

x, 243 pages : illustrations (chiefly color); 24 cm

Summary

"A lyrical culinary journey that explores the hidden stories of Black Appalachians through powerful essays and forty comforting recipes from the Poet Laureate of Kentucky. Years ago, when O. Henry Prize-winning writer Crystal Wilkinson was baking a jam cake, she felt her late grandmother's presence. She soon realized that she was not the only cook in her kitchen. There were an abundance of ancestors stirring, measuring, and braising with her. These are her kitchen ghosts, five generations of Black women who arrived in her region of Appalachia and made a life, a legacy, and a cuisine. Part food memoir, part cookbook, 'Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts' weaves fiction with historical records, memories, and interviews to present a unique culinary portrait of Black Appalachians. Forty recipes rooted deep in the past yet full of contemporary flavor are brought to vivid life through stunning photography and beautiful illustrations. You'll find delicious favorites such as Corn Pudding, Chicken and Dumplings, Jam Cake, and Praisesong Biscuits woven into the narrative of Crystal's family, portraying the experience and history of Black Appalachians through their voice, spirit, and foodways. As the keeper of her family's stories and treasured dishes, Crystal shares her inheritance in 'Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts'. She found these stories woven into her apron pockets, floating inside the steam of hot mustard greens, and tucked into the sweet scent of clove and cinnamon in her kitchen. Crystal conjures up her ancestors every time she cooks, honoring the mothers who came before her, the land that housed generations of her family, and the untold heritage of Black Appalachia"--

Alternative Title

Praise song for the kitchen ghosts

Subject

Genre/Form

cookbooks.
Anecdotes
Biographies
Cookbooks
History
Cookbooks.

Note

Includes index.

Contents

Tasting Indian Creek. Granny Christine's jam cake ; A mess o' meatless greens -- How I Learned to Cook. Hot milk cake ; Chicken and dumplings -- Out in the Wild. Wild greens : Woods to table ; Sautéed fiddleheads -- The Incredible, Indelible Egg. Chess pie ; Dressed eggs -- The Basket Meeting. Pine Lick mutton leg and gravy ; Basket Meeting green beans and new potatoes ; Caramel cake -- Searching for the Ancestral Garden. Hearty sandwich bread ; Creamy tomato soup -- Birthdays Must Be Celebrated. Pimento cheese with a kick ; Classic Benedictine (Cucumber spread) ; Chicken salad with curry ; Angel food cake -- Blackberries, Blackberries. Wild berry lemonade ; Blackberry jam ; Biscuits with blackberry soup ; Grandmother's blackberry cobbler ; Quick blackberry cobbler -- What These Women Know About Bread. Patsy Riffe's hoecakes ; Praisesong biscuits ; Indian Creek skillet cornbread -- The King of Sorghum. Gingerbread and sauce ; The Dark Crystal latte ; Sweet sorghum cookies -- Soul Food of the Mountains. Garlicky white soup beans ; Hearty vegetable soup with hamburger ; Indian Creek chili ; Chicken and noodles -- Hog Wild About Pork. Ron's pulled pork -- Merry Christmas, Christine. Easy old-fashioned popcorn balls ; No-egg scrambled eggs ; Fried plantains ; Broccoli, sage sausage, and cheese quiche -- Giving Thanks: Past, Present, Future. Turkey hash ; Corn pudding.

Call Number

Sc E 24-121

ISBN

9780593236512
0593236513

LCCN

2023005847

OCLC

1369675975

Author

Wilkinson, Crystal, author.

Title

Praisesong for the kitchen ghosts : stories and recipes from five generations of Black country cooks / Crystal Wilkinson ; photographs by Kelly Marshall.

Publisher

New York : Clarkson Potter/Publishers, [2024]

Edition

First edition.

Type of Content

text

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Creator/Contributor Characteristics

African Americans

Local Note

Schomburg copy with dust jacket.

Local Subject

Black author.

Added Author

Marshall, Kelly (Photographer), photographer (expression)

Research Call Number

Sc E 24-121

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