The Cornbread Gospels

by Crescent Dragonwagon

“Cornbread? I LOVE cornbread!” For six years, that’s the response Crescent Dragonwagon got when people asked her what she was writing about. Over time, she came to Not only is hot, just baked cornbread delicious, it evokes—powerfully—the heart, soul, and taste of home. There is an abundance of satisfying cornbreads, as Crescent discovered when she followed the cornbread trail from the Appalachians to the Rockies to the Green Mountains. Traveling to family reunions, potlucks, tortilleras, stone-grinding mills, and the National Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburgh, Tennessee, she heard the stories, tasted the breads, learned the secrets. Join her in this overflowing over 200 irresistible recipes for cornbreads, muffins, fritters, pancakes, and go-withs. Cornbreads from below the Mason-Dixon line (Skillet-Sizzled Buttermilk Cornbread, Truman Capote’s Family’s Alabama Cornbread) meet those from above (Durgin-Park Boston Cornbread, Vermont Maple-Sweetened Cornbread). Southwestern offerings—Chou-Chou’s Dallas Hot Stuff Cornbread, delectable homemade tamales, and tortillas from scratch—meet internationals like India’s Makki Ki Roti. A Thanksgiving with Crescent’s Sweet-Savory Cornbread Dressing is rapturous. Desserts like Very Lemony Gorgeous Cornmeal Pound Cake make any meal exceptional. Along with this, Crescent gives us the greens, the beans, the salads, stews, and soups that accompany cornbread to perfection. And she tells us the stories, too. Enthusiastic and heartfelt, this thoughtful, exuberant love song to America’s favorite breadstuff and all that goes with it will embrace readers and cooks everywhere.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Reference

390 pages, Paperback

First published November 22, 2007

About the author

Crescent Dragonwagon is the daughter of the writers Charlotte Zolotow and the late Hollywood biographer Maurice Zolotow. She is the author of 40 published books, including cookbooks, children's books, and novels. With her late husband, Ned Shank, Crescent owned the award-winning Dairy Hollow House, a country inn and restaurant in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, for eighteen years. She teaches writing coast to coast and is the co-founder (with Ned) of the non-profit Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Up front I have to say that I am a cast iron skillet, white cornmeal kind of girl. With my confession out I the way, I can say I enjoyed this cookbook immensely. The write ups on southern verses northern styles, yellow verses white, histories, and the influences of Native Americans, African Americans and Mexican Americans were at times tongue-in-cheek, but always enlightening. Each recipe came with a short explanation or story. Quotes from books are scattered all through the cookbook. I wrote down her list of suggested Southern cooking reading. My mouth was watering reading the menus suggesting meals based on recipes in the book. I was inspired to mix it up a little for the Super Bowl. While I used my cast iron skillet and white cornmeal, I did substitute sour cream for buttermilk and added green chilies, pepper jack and creamed corn. Good stuff!

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got to meet Crescent when I went to be in the audience of a book talk she was giving about "The Cornbread Gospels" at a local radio station. As there were only 5 people in the audience we had a great opportunity to meet her and to sample some of the cornbread recipes from the book. The basis of the book is that she loved cornbread and as she traveled she realized that people all over the world have their own forms of "corn bread". It is a collection of those recipes that she has tried and in some cases created her own version. Once again this book is nearly as much fun to read as it is to cook from. Crescent is one of those people I would love to have as a friend living down the street. Life would be exciting! I have only tried a few of these recipes, but they are each truly different from each other and it is fun to focus on one type of food and to experience it as it is eaten around the world.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dragonwagon’s cookbooks are fascinating, and this one includes not only tantalizing recipes for cornbread in its many forms but engrossing material about the history of corn and cornbread in various cultures. I loved reading this book, and when I shared it with my 83 year old mother, she found recipes that she remembered her own grandmother making. Dragonwagon devotes chapters to Southern Cornbread (largely unsweetened, mostly cornmeal) and Northern Cornbread (sweetened, with more flour), as well as spoonbreads, muffins, and tasty sounding go-alongs from beans and greens to international stews and soups.

[Marian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to be unbiased. So many people have fond memories of the taste and smell of home baked cornbread. It is never quite satisfied by the stuff found in grocery stores or restaurants. Amazing just how many cornbread recipes are in this book. it made me want to jump off the couch, fire up the old cast iron skillet and make a pan, right then and there. The writing was also charming and informative. Makes you feel like the author is someone you'd like to know. Like a good friend who would bring cornbread and Soup if you were sick!

[Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh My Ghods!

[Rexanna Ipock-Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only is there some of the best recipes for cornbread and other related foods, the author provides charming bits of history and insight to life. This is a must own for me.

[Scot · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my go-to books in my cookbook shelves. I absolutely love it. Cornbread in its many forms is great comfort food, and this book provides over 200 recipes to help cure what's ailing you.

[Buzz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mmmm...cornbread.....drool

This book not only has great recipes but wonderful stories as well. It's rare to find a cookbook that's also a good read.

(Special thanks to Anne for recommending this one!)

[Rodeo El-Sabae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't help but love a book authored by someone named Crescent Dragonwagon! Seriously.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who knew cornbread had such an interesting and extensive history?

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE IT! I use this often. Really, who knew so much about cornbread!Enjoyed the writing and stories.

[Fishface · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read that includes a crazy variety of cornbread recipes from all over the world. It even includes a recipe from Truman Capote's great-aunt Sook.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

like the book a lot - but can't find the accompanying website which is supposed to have additional info. Great recipes, stories, and history - a fun read -- can just open a page, and read.

[Kathy Dempsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too much dairy (milk and butter), eggs and white flour for me.