The library hosts a wide variety of cookbooks, but there’s just something about a home-cooked southern meal that can be both comforting and delicious. If you’re interested in bringing the spirit of country cuisine to your kitchen, check out one of these cookbooks:
Add a Pinch: Easier, Faster, Fresher Southern Classics by Robyn Stone – Collects traditional Southern recipes from the blogger behind the popular Add a Pinch website that have been reworked to be faster and healthier, including such dishes as buttermilk fried chicken, blackened catfish, and Creole shrimp and grits.
Biscuit Head: New Southern Biscuits, Breakfasts, and Brunch by Jason & Carolyn Roy – Presents recipes from the kitchen of the original Biscuit Head restaurant in Asheville, North Carolina, including such dishes as okra hush puppies, chocolate biscuit bread pudding, and biscuit French toast.
Chicken: A Savor the South Cookbook by Cynthia Graubart – Contains 53 recipes and all the know-how that cooks need to make irresistible chicken dishes for everyday and special occasions, from shopping and selecting to cutting up, frying, braising, roasting, and much more.
Country Cooking From a Redneck Kitchen by Francine Bryson – Collects over 100 classic Southern recipes from the national pie champion, along with recipes for the author’s celebrated baked goods, including her most-requested holiday desserts.
Learn to Cook 25 Southern Classics 3 Ways: Traditional, Contemporary, International by Jennifer Brulé – Offers variations on traditional American Southern recipes and step-by-step instructions for basic cooking techniques.
Poole’s: Recipes and Stories From a Modern Diner by Ashley Christensen & Kaitlyn Goalen – Teaches home cooks how to make the best foundational recipes and then turn them into exceptional sides, mains, and desserts, with recipes from the celebrated Southern restaurant, Poole’s Downtown Diner.
Lighten Up, Y’all: Classic Southern Recipes Made Healthy and Wholesome by Virginia Willis – Collects recipes for lighter, healthier Southern favorites, including Southern style shepherd’s pie with grits, broccoli mac and cheese, bourbon grilled pork chops, and buttermilk biscuits with turkey sausage gravy.
And if you’re interested in delving into the history of southern cooking, check out:
The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South by John T. Edge – An exploration of Southern cuisine reveals how culinary traditions of the rural, poor South became a keystone of contemporary American cuisine.