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Edible North Carolina: A Journey across a State of Flavor
Marcie Cohen Ferris gathers a constellation of leading journalists, farmers, chefs, entrepreneurs, scholars, and food activists—along with photographer Baxter Miller— to offer a deeply immersive portrait of North Carolina’s contemporary food landscape. Ranging from manifesto to elegy, Edible North Carolina's essays, photographs, interviews, and recipes combine for a beautifully revealing journey across the lands and waters of a state that exemplifies the complexities of American food and identity.
While North Carolina’s food heritage is grounded in core ingredients and the proximity of farm to table, this book reveals striking differences among food-centred cultures and businesses across the state. Documenting disparities among people’s access to food and farmland—and highlighting community and state efforts toward fundamental solutions—Edible North Carolina shows how culinary excellence, entrepreneurship, and the struggle for racial justice converge in shaping food equity, not only for North Carolinians, but for all Americans.
Starting with Vivian Howard, star of PBS’s A Chef’s Life, who wrote the foreword, the contributors include Shorlette Ammons, Karen Amspacher, Victoria Bouloubasis, Katy Clune, Gabe Cumming, Marcie Cohen Ferris, Sandra Gutierrez, Tom Hanchett, Michelle King, Cheetie Kumar, Courtney Lewis, Malinda Maynor Lowery, Ronni Lundy, Keia Mastrianni, April McGreger, Baxter Miller, Ricky Moore, Carla Norwood, Kathleen Purvis, Andrea Reusing, Bill Smith, Maia Surdam, and Andrea Weigl.
Marcie Cohen Ferris, author of The Edible South: The Power of Food and the Making of an American Region and Matzoh Ball Gumbo: Culinary Tales of the Jewish South, is professor emerita of American studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
While North Carolina’s food heritage is grounded in core ingredients and the proximity of farm to table, this book reveals striking differences among food-centred cultures and businesses across the state. Documenting disparities among people’s access to food and farmland—and highlighting community and state efforts toward fundamental solutions—Edible North Carolina shows how culinary excellence, entrepreneurship, and the struggle for racial justice converge in shaping food equity, not only for North Carolinians, but for all Americans.
Starting with Vivian Howard, star of PBS’s A Chef’s Life, who wrote the foreword, the contributors include Shorlette Ammons, Karen Amspacher, Victoria Bouloubasis, Katy Clune, Gabe Cumming, Marcie Cohen Ferris, Sandra Gutierrez, Tom Hanchett, Michelle King, Cheetie Kumar, Courtney Lewis, Malinda Maynor Lowery, Ronni Lundy, Keia Mastrianni, April McGreger, Baxter Miller, Ricky Moore, Carla Norwood, Kathleen Purvis, Andrea Reusing, Bill Smith, Maia Surdam, and Andrea Weigl.
Marcie Cohen Ferris, author of The Edible South: The Power of Food and the Making of an American Region and Matzoh Ball Gumbo: Culinary Tales of the Jewish South, is professor emerita of American studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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296 pages, Hardcover
Published May 3, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 19, 2021
This is a lovely collection of essays and history about North Carolina food, its history and the issues surrounding all of this. I really appreciated the focus on issues like social justice, the environment, slavery, poverty and so on related to the food, and the essays were by a diverse group of people who are helping to champion the best about NC food. It's really a deep dive and goes into things like how the Covid shut-downs affected restaurants, how big ag affects what's grown, and other crucial issues of our day. I wish there were more recipes but I highly recommend it for those who want to meet some of the amazing people involved in the North Carolina food scene.
I read a digital ARC of this book for review.
I read a digital ARC of this book for review.
January 9, 2022
I found this to be a fascinating collection of essays that centered around food and food history in North Carolina. Since I have family in North Carolina, I have spent a good bit of time in various areas around the state. I enjoyed having factual commentaries touching on things I have seen or experienced. . There was good bit of historical data that illuminated how trends and customs became as they are in today's North Carolina.
May 20, 2022
Readers might come to this book asking where and what they might eat in the Tar Heel state, but hopefully they’ll finish it and ask what they might DO to protect our fragile food system and promote food justice for all. Edited collections are notoriously difficult to review, so I will focus on the profound impact that reading this beautifully designed volume, which arrives at a critical moment for the Tar Heel state’s food community—both producers and consumers—had on me. Here are some of my takeaways that led to my 5-star rating for this book:
Spend 10% of your food dollar on locally produced foods.
Choose to support local, independently-owned and operated restaurants.
Be willing to pay more for restaurant meals if those price increases reflect fair, living wages and benefits for all staff members.
Ask more questions about where food is sourced when dining out. When ordering seafood, ask, “Is it local?”
If you eat barbecue, understand that establishments that serve pasture-raised pork operate on a razor-thin margin. Be willing to pay more for that barbecue sandwich, and order side dishes, beverages, and merchandise (like tee-shirts, caps and signature house condiments) that help support the bottom line.
Support the work of BIPOC-owned farms, CSAs, food businesses, and markets.
If you’re not already shopping at your local farmers' market, start now. If you’re already a farmers' market regular, make your trips there the foundation of your family's meals and spend more of your food dollar there. If you go only in “high season,” stop by in the off-season months to see and hear about what’s happening. Shop for gifts that support the local food economy (peanuts, honey, candles, preserves). These products are often available year-round. Try products that you might not have purchased before. Visit a different farmers' market in your community or when you’re traveling around the state. Introduce out-of-town visitors to your market. "Follow" your market and favorite farms on social media. Although the book underscores that shopping at farmers' markets is not enough, doing so is still an important entry point for learning about the local food system.
Buy tickets to local farm tours if they’re offered in your area.
Join a CSA.
Shop at community-owned cooperative grocery stores that focus on local, sustainably produced products.
Drink locally-produced wines, crafted spirits, beer and ale, ciders, and other beverages.
Know political candidates positions on agriculture and food policy—both locally and on a national level.
Give generously of your money (and time) to local organizations that fight food insecurity in your community. Become "a sustainer"—someone who makes a regular contribution that the organization can count to keep the safety net that they provide strong. Work with people beyond your own tight circle to reinvigorate local food systems.
Continue to educate yourself about all aspects of the local food system by reading books like this one!
The book is full-color throughout, and all the photos were taken by a single photographer—Baxter Miller. This gives the book visual consistency and coherence. Gorgeous color photos grace the end papers and invite the reader into, and graciously conclude, the book. Miller's portraits bring the book's subjects to life, and her food photography is beautifully done.
Kitchen-tested recipes follow, and provide a flavor boost, for each essay.
Although readers might want read the essays out of order, I recommend reading editor Marcie Cohen Ferris’s Introduction, which provides historical and cultural context, first. And don’t miss her Afterword (which closes with a cocktail from Gary Crunkleton honoring North Carolina's women in food)!
Spend 10% of your food dollar on locally produced foods.
Choose to support local, independently-owned and operated restaurants.
Be willing to pay more for restaurant meals if those price increases reflect fair, living wages and benefits for all staff members.
Ask more questions about where food is sourced when dining out. When ordering seafood, ask, “Is it local?”
If you eat barbecue, understand that establishments that serve pasture-raised pork operate on a razor-thin margin. Be willing to pay more for that barbecue sandwich, and order side dishes, beverages, and merchandise (like tee-shirts, caps and signature house condiments) that help support the bottom line.
Support the work of BIPOC-owned farms, CSAs, food businesses, and markets.
If you’re not already shopping at your local farmers' market, start now. If you’re already a farmers' market regular, make your trips there the foundation of your family's meals and spend more of your food dollar there. If you go only in “high season,” stop by in the off-season months to see and hear about what’s happening. Shop for gifts that support the local food economy (peanuts, honey, candles, preserves). These products are often available year-round. Try products that you might not have purchased before. Visit a different farmers' market in your community or when you’re traveling around the state. Introduce out-of-town visitors to your market. "Follow" your market and favorite farms on social media. Although the book underscores that shopping at farmers' markets is not enough, doing so is still an important entry point for learning about the local food system.
Buy tickets to local farm tours if they’re offered in your area.
Join a CSA.
Shop at community-owned cooperative grocery stores that focus on local, sustainably produced products.
Drink locally-produced wines, crafted spirits, beer and ale, ciders, and other beverages.
Know political candidates positions on agriculture and food policy—both locally and on a national level.
Give generously of your money (and time) to local organizations that fight food insecurity in your community. Become "a sustainer"—someone who makes a regular contribution that the organization can count to keep the safety net that they provide strong. Work with people beyond your own tight circle to reinvigorate local food systems.
Continue to educate yourself about all aspects of the local food system by reading books like this one!
The book is full-color throughout, and all the photos were taken by a single photographer—Baxter Miller. This gives the book visual consistency and coherence. Gorgeous color photos grace the end papers and invite the reader into, and graciously conclude, the book. Miller's portraits bring the book's subjects to life, and her food photography is beautifully done.
Kitchen-tested recipes follow, and provide a flavor boost, for each essay.
Although readers might want read the essays out of order, I recommend reading editor Marcie Cohen Ferris’s Introduction, which provides historical and cultural context, first. And don’t miss her Afterword (which closes with a cocktail from Gary Crunkleton honoring North Carolina's women in food)!
April 21, 2022
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Edible North Carolina is a panoramic overview over the gastronomic landscape of North Carolina along with a superb cross section of profiles of leading culinary VIPs edited and curated by Dr. Marcie Cohen Ferris. Due out 3rd May 2022 from the University of North Carolina Press, it's 296 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.
Deep-diving regional cuisine when traveling has always been a favored hobby in my family. We have always sought out the "townie" restaurants and (as much as possible) eschewed the touristy ones. This book is tailor made for us. There are profiles and essays by 20 North Carolina foodies, families, and culturally relevant people. The essays are as varied as the writers: an indigenous family, local commercial seafood fisherman, pork farmer, families of color, Latinx, first generation NC restaurateur, and more. The recipes are as varied as the subjects with a smattering of standard classics (sweet potato pie, strawberry preserves, and scallop fritters) as well as the refreshingly unexpected (pecan polverones and pork shank posole).
Recipes contain a background/introduction, ingredients listed bullet-style in a sidebar, followed by step-by-step directions. Ingredients are given in imperial (American) units. There are no metric equivalents. The majority of the ingredients will be available at any well stocked grocery store or farmer's market. Some of the sauces and spice blends will possibly require a regional specialist grocer or mail order.
Most of the photographs contained in the book are of the contributors, but there are some food pictures. The photography is in color, clear, and well done. Serving suggestions are appetizing and attractively styled.
Four stars. This would be a good choice for public or school library acquisition as well as for foodies. The biggest value for me was reading the stories of the contributors and not so much for the 20 included recipes (although they're appetizing).
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Edible North Carolina is a panoramic overview over the gastronomic landscape of North Carolina along with a superb cross section of profiles of leading culinary VIPs edited and curated by Dr. Marcie Cohen Ferris. Due out 3rd May 2022 from the University of North Carolina Press, it's 296 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.
Deep-diving regional cuisine when traveling has always been a favored hobby in my family. We have always sought out the "townie" restaurants and (as much as possible) eschewed the touristy ones. This book is tailor made for us. There are profiles and essays by 20 North Carolina foodies, families, and culturally relevant people. The essays are as varied as the writers: an indigenous family, local commercial seafood fisherman, pork farmer, families of color, Latinx, first generation NC restaurateur, and more. The recipes are as varied as the subjects with a smattering of standard classics (sweet potato pie, strawberry preserves, and scallop fritters) as well as the refreshingly unexpected (pecan polverones and pork shank posole).
Recipes contain a background/introduction, ingredients listed bullet-style in a sidebar, followed by step-by-step directions. Ingredients are given in imperial (American) units. There are no metric equivalents. The majority of the ingredients will be available at any well stocked grocery store or farmer's market. Some of the sauces and spice blends will possibly require a regional specialist grocer or mail order.
Most of the photographs contained in the book are of the contributors, but there are some food pictures. The photography is in color, clear, and well done. Serving suggestions are appetizing and attractively styled.
Four stars. This would be a good choice for public or school library acquisition as well as for foodies. The biggest value for me was reading the stories of the contributors and not so much for the 20 included recipes (although they're appetizing).
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
July 25, 2022
Great read. If you’re from North Carolina, want to know more about NC, love or are interested in food and modern foodways, or just want some hope for the future, this collection is for you. As a North Carolinian who’s lived in the Triangle, Triad, Charlotte, the mountains and has visited the coast often, I appreciated the breadth of the collection, and the depth into the different regions. Tons of memories flooded back from the essays from Charlotte and Raleigh, and I feel like I have long to-do lists for my next trips to Asheville, Greensboro and the coast. As someone who wants to eat better, its encouraging to hear about the networks forming to strengthen the availability and use of locally sourced ingredients, and its encouraging that so many of the new hotspots of the culinary scene embrace this vision. CSAs, locally grown ingredients (produce, but also wheat and animals so that minimally processed food like flour and meat and dairy are as local as possible too), increased international flavor - all of these are the highlights of NC food today. These stories also shed light on the struggles -ongoing as well as newly imposed by the pandemic - that eaters in North Carolina (and really, the country as a whole and the entire world) face; good healthy and tasty food should be a right, not a privilege. The unhealthy and processed junk - much of it created out of lagoon-surrounded pig farms and restrictive growing poultry farms in our very state - that is cheap and widespread, found in fastfood franchises and the shelves of grocery stores and convenience stores, should not be the norm, and should not be what we consider ‘food.’ What Michael Pollan shed light on for the masses years ago in Omnivore’s Dilemma, and the alternatives available if you look in the right places, seem to finally have reached North Carolina, and this book will happily serve as your introduction.
January 6, 2022
*This book was received as an Advanced Reviewer's Copy from NetGalley.
A book about food, great! A book about food history (and present), even better! A book about food and food history set in my chosen state, ok, I'm definitely in! If you can't tell, I was really excited about this book and then much gratified when it was as good as I expected it to be.
Exploring not only the food of North Carolina, it also looks at the sociological, political, and other impacts that foodways and the people who produce both the raw ingredients and cooked ingredients impact the landscape of the area. So at the same time where you learn about places you want to eat (and even get a few recipes along the way as well) you also learn about the inherent structures, issues, and other factors that go into producing North Carolina's standard food and/or the struggle it took to get there.
This means that the book touches on immigration, racism, and all the nuances that help develop the food system in North Carolina. The issues with food scarcity and large agro-business, the impacts of the pandemic, everything is in here. And it's important to read because a lot of times we take for granted how food makes it to our table, and especially if we do have privilege, that it makes it there at all without issues many people face.
So if you want to learn about North Carolina food and its history, about the people currently producing and innovating, and about the different social issues that underly all of these topics, this is definitely a book to read.
Review by M. Reynard 2022
A book about food, great! A book about food history (and present), even better! A book about food and food history set in my chosen state, ok, I'm definitely in! If you can't tell, I was really excited about this book and then much gratified when it was as good as I expected it to be.
Exploring not only the food of North Carolina, it also looks at the sociological, political, and other impacts that foodways and the people who produce both the raw ingredients and cooked ingredients impact the landscape of the area. So at the same time where you learn about places you want to eat (and even get a few recipes along the way as well) you also learn about the inherent structures, issues, and other factors that go into producing North Carolina's standard food and/or the struggle it took to get there.
This means that the book touches on immigration, racism, and all the nuances that help develop the food system in North Carolina. The issues with food scarcity and large agro-business, the impacts of the pandemic, everything is in here. And it's important to read because a lot of times we take for granted how food makes it to our table, and especially if we do have privilege, that it makes it there at all without issues many people face.
So if you want to learn about North Carolina food and its history, about the people currently producing and innovating, and about the different social issues that underly all of these topics, this is definitely a book to read.
Review by M. Reynard 2022
December 29, 2021
As a native but displaced North Carolinian this book reached out to me. So much of my childhood memories revolve around food , especially in the context of family in Eastern and Piedmont regions of NC.
This is a scholarly discussion of food in NC. its role in society and especially its evolution as we battle climate change and food equity. At times it was pretty dense reading. The author has some very important ideas to convey particularly in the afterword.
The essays themselves were delightful and I was pleased to see the diversity of stories included. I hope that this will contribute to cooperation and inclusion is the state's effort to feed its people, literally and figuratively.
The photography was amazing and I felt I would love to meet the people whose stories were told in the book. The pictures really brought their stories alive.
This is not fundamentally a cookbook but the recipes included were interesting. Not sure I would make them myself at home but they did illustrate the essays and the food traditions they chronicle.
It was heartening to see all the efforts that are being made in NC to preserve food heritage and protect the chains of production to provide fresh seasonal food to people. It would be interesting to see other states versions of this concept.
This is a scholarly discussion of food in NC. its role in society and especially its evolution as we battle climate change and food equity. At times it was pretty dense reading. The author has some very important ideas to convey particularly in the afterword.
The essays themselves were delightful and I was pleased to see the diversity of stories included. I hope that this will contribute to cooperation and inclusion is the state's effort to feed its people, literally and figuratively.
The photography was amazing and I felt I would love to meet the people whose stories were told in the book. The pictures really brought their stories alive.
This is not fundamentally a cookbook but the recipes included were interesting. Not sure I would make them myself at home but they did illustrate the essays and the food traditions they chronicle.
It was heartening to see all the efforts that are being made in NC to preserve food heritage and protect the chains of production to provide fresh seasonal food to people. It would be interesting to see other states versions of this concept.
February 5, 2022
[Review of uncorrected page proofs from NetGalley]
My patrons are going to eat this up! (See what I did there?) Delightful and readable while at the same time well-researched and thought-provoking. Like Vivian Howard's mama, I believe we have everything in North Carolina. Our tagline ought to be, Come for the food, stay for the scenery! Our food is definitely first. Even in the smallest, nondescript little villages, you can find the best little hole-in-the wall eateries. This book highlights some of those (and some hifalutin places, too) along with our temperate-climate-blessed growing season and amazing gardeners. The essays are accompanied by recipes (don't be afraid of lard) and inspiring (not trite or homespun but legit) stories of how many of these folks got their start as well as vital and compelling history of our state. I am so ready for a road trip!
Librarian bonus: references for each essay. I'm already thinking of patrons who'll want to be on hold for this title!
My patrons are going to eat this up! (See what I did there?) Delightful and readable while at the same time well-researched and thought-provoking. Like Vivian Howard's mama, I believe we have everything in North Carolina. Our tagline ought to be, Come for the food, stay for the scenery! Our food is definitely first. Even in the smallest, nondescript little villages, you can find the best little hole-in-the wall eateries. This book highlights some of those (and some hifalutin places, too) along with our temperate-climate-blessed growing season and amazing gardeners. The essays are accompanied by recipes (don't be afraid of lard) and inspiring (not trite or homespun but legit) stories of how many of these folks got their start as well as vital and compelling history of our state. I am so ready for a road trip!
Librarian bonus: references for each essay. I'm already thinking of patrons who'll want to be on hold for this title!
January 3, 2022
Edible North Carolina is a love song to the State. From the mountains to the off shore islands, from working farms to cities, from Native Americans to the earliest settlers to the newest immigrants, editor Marcie Cohen Ferris provides “A Journey across a State of Flavor”. Told in the words of regional chefs, the book provides a look at North Carolina’s history and the people and foods that shaped it. Each section has an essay by a local chef followed by a recipe. This is not a cookbook. With Baxter Miller’s beautiful photographs as illustrations, this is the story of how North Carolina’s foods reflect its history. 5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley, University of North Carolina Press, Marcie Cohen Ferris and K.C. Hysmith for this ARC.
Thank you to NetGalley, University of North Carolina Press, Marcie Cohen Ferris and K.C. Hysmith for this ARC.
September 29, 2022
Love to bake cakes? Then you’ll want to pick up Gateau: The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes by award winning author Aleksandra Crapanzano. This excellent cookbook has dozens of great recipes for cakes – both sweet and savory, as well as toppings and fillings. The names of the recipes are in French (as well as English), which makes them sound much more fancy and romantic than regular titles. At the beginning of each recipe, there is a paragraph or two giving information about the origin of the recipe, vignettes, stories, etc. The prose is very well-written and interesting; surely this cookbook is one that can be taken to a warm corner and read cover to cover.
The recipes are easy-to-follow; there are excellent instructions to insure perfect results. The variety is excellent so that anyone who wants to bake a cake and is looking for something specific will find it in this cookbook. Some of the recipes are a bit involved – these aren’t particularly quick or easy – but the end results will be spectacular. This will become a go-to cookbook because cake is just one of those things that belongs at meals, whether fancy for company or just for everyday.
The only unfortunate drawback is that there are no photographs of the finished cakes. While there are nice illustrations, they don’t inspire like a beautiful photograph. Nevertheless, Crapanzano knows her subject and is an excellent writer. Everyone will be able to find a good cake recipe (the savory ones are especially enticing) for any occasion.
Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.
The recipes are easy-to-follow; there are excellent instructions to insure perfect results. The variety is excellent so that anyone who wants to bake a cake and is looking for something specific will find it in this cookbook. Some of the recipes are a bit involved – these aren’t particularly quick or easy – but the end results will be spectacular. This will become a go-to cookbook because cake is just one of those things that belongs at meals, whether fancy for company or just for everyday.
The only unfortunate drawback is that there are no photographs of the finished cakes. While there are nice illustrations, they don’t inspire like a beautiful photograph. Nevertheless, Crapanzano knows her subject and is an excellent writer. Everyone will be able to find a good cake recipe (the savory ones are especially enticing) for any occasion.
Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.
July 8, 2022
Edible North Carolina is a collection of essays all about food in North Carolina. From how restaurants adapted to survive the COVID shut downs to histories of local, family farms and everything in between is covered in this book. Each essay was followed by a recipe that was mentioned or pertained to that story. While I liked most of the essays and I love that Vivian Howard wrote the foreword, the Introduction was SO long and detailed that it should have either been fleshed out into it's own book or greatly edited/shortened for this type of book. I also wish that the essays had been organized by region, the order and topics just felt very random. I was also disappointed that there were very few essays about the Charlotte/Piedmont region of the state. It's obvious there is a HUGE local food movement in Asheville and Raleigh/Durham, but nothing much about Charlotte which is surprising because I think Charlotte is the biggest city in the state and we have tons of small, local, family farms in the Charlotte area. Overall, I did like it, but I think it could have been organized/edited better to create a more cohesive book.
May 8, 2022
North Carolina has it all--mountains, beaches, farms, cities, and small towns, which makes for an interesting and diverse menu across the state. This book provides a rich history of the food of North Carolina, which of course involves the history of the state itself. It also speaks of the NC food of the present. This is quite a detailed book, in essay form, and it's not a cookbook. It's a diverse history of North Carolina food, past and present, and some of the essays are better than others.
I think it takes on a little too much. The history of Carolina mountain food could easily be in a book of its own, for example. Overall, though, it's packed with information and facts about North Carolina food, past and present.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.
I think it takes on a little too much. The history of Carolina mountain food could easily be in a book of its own, for example. Overall, though, it's packed with information and facts about North Carolina food, past and present.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.
May 17, 2022
I requested this book because the description made it sound like an actual cookbook sprinkled with some anecdotes or stories from the authors but that is not what this book is. There is really only about 5 or so recipes sprinkled throughout the book.
This is a book about the food and culture of North Carolina and how they intertwine and connect with each other throughout history. It is a really good look at different parts of North Carolina and how certain types of food are related to certain areas of North Carolina and the history of why.
However, this is not a cookbook which is what I was thinking this book was when I requested it. This is a good book, but it is not a cookbook so the reader should be aware of that before reading,
This is a book about the food and culture of North Carolina and how they intertwine and connect with each other throughout history. It is a really good look at different parts of North Carolina and how certain types of food are related to certain areas of North Carolina and the history of why.
However, this is not a cookbook which is what I was thinking this book was when I requested it. This is a good book, but it is not a cookbook so the reader should be aware of that before reading,
August 18, 2023
Not sure who this collection of essays is for. It wasn't really a "journey across a State of Flavor" as I interpret the phrase.
It was written during COVID, so much uncertainty in it.
The book has essays by certain people - but not always pictures of them, or recipes by them. I couldn't always see the connection. Then there would be random quotes about food by someone else not written about in any essay.
Just found it to be confusing mish-mash without a structure that was understandable.
It was written during COVID, so much uncertainty in it.
The book has essays by certain people - but not always pictures of them, or recipes by them. I couldn't always see the connection. Then there would be random quotes about food by someone else not written about in any essay.
Just found it to be confusing mish-mash without a structure that was understandable.
March 29, 2022
This was a fascinating read about the food of North Carolina and everything that goes into, including a lot of history. I was a history major in college and truly enjoyed connecting cuisine to slavery and social justice issues. The book also talked about the environment, poverty, and the political aspects of the food. There were recipes sprinkled throughout but the commentary on the food and its history was want intrigued me the most.
June 27, 2022
I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I thought this was a cookbook when I made the request to read it. That is not what it is at all. It is about the food that is grown in North Carolina. It was full of information and I went to North Carolina when I was a child. So I wanted to know more about the food there and that is why I requested the book in the first place.
February 2, 2022
Thank you to the University of North Carolina Press and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this book. This book is a fantastic guide of essays, recipes, and photos highlighting the history and diversity of cuisines across North Carolina.
February 2, 2022
Thank you to the University of North Carolina Press and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this book. This book is a fantastic guide of essays, recipes, and photos highlighting the history and diversity of cuisines across North Carolina.
February 2, 2024
Essays. Racial.
May 13, 2022
Thank you, Netgalley and the author/publisher, for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of this book. This in no way affects my review, all opinions are my own.
Soooo, what is there to say, let's see! Overall, this is the perfect book for those who crave anything history. This book was quite extensive in that respect. I loved the personal stories and the recipes. I will definitely try some of them. The reason I only give this book 4 stars is that it read like a master thesis at times which made it quite boring in parts. But then again, it shouldn't have surprised me since the author is a university professor. Overall, however, this is a good book that gives great insights into the history and, as a result, the current struggles of the food sector in North Carolina.
Soooo, what is there to say, let's see! Overall, this is the perfect book for those who crave anything history. This book was quite extensive in that respect. I loved the personal stories and the recipes. I will definitely try some of them. The reason I only give this book 4 stars is that it read like a master thesis at times which made it quite boring in parts. But then again, it shouldn't have surprised me since the author is a university professor. Overall, however, this is a good book that gives great insights into the history and, as a result, the current struggles of the food sector in North Carolina.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews