White Trash Cooking

by Ernest Matthew Mickler

Shares traditional Southern recipes for vegetables, meat, fish, salads, eggs, sandwiches, candy, cakes, cookies, cobblers, pones, puddings, cornbreads, biscuits, rolls, pickles, and jellies

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Humor, Food, Southern, Reference

166 pages, Spiral-bound

First published August 1, 1986

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

The term "white trash" was originally used by slaves in the 1830s to describe poor whites. Nowadays, it is used as a pejorative for poor, uneducated Southerners. In his introduction, Mickler describes "White Trash" - distinguished from the "common white trash" who lack pride and manners - in this way:

...we are "in love" with our bad times and weakest characters, we laugh at our worst tragedies, and with a gourmet's delight enjoy our simplest meals.

I was unsure of what to expect from this book. As one Goodread's friend asked, "I'm betting a lot of the White Trash cooking involves Ritz Crackers, eh?" Well, yeah. They're there. And Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup rears its ugly head a few times. Also Jell-O. But the recipes are not awful. Mama Two's Pralines sound seriously yummy. Sloppy Joe's on Cornbread? Mmmm-mmmm. And I definitely want to try this Jail-House Chili. It uses 6 TABLESPOONS of chili powder. My current recipe uses one.

White Trash cooking is a "kissin' cousin" to Soul Food, but what sets it apart from other kinds of cooking are three ingredients - saltmeat, cornmeal and molasses. An iron skillet is as important to these recipes as a wok to Chinese cooking. And even the vegetables are fried in fatback.

I learned the difference between Hoppin' John and Limpin' Susan - the former uses cowpeas, the latter okra - and both use 4 strips of bacon.

Many of the recipes are written in a folksy manner with comments by the creators included.

Mary Linder's Washday Soup
Put Navy beans in a big pot of salted water to soak overnight. Put on with the wash water about six in the morning, with bacon, or ham. Let cook uncovered on low burner. Clock between loads of wash. Add 1 large, finely minced onion at eight when you're blueing the overalls. At nine have a quick cup of coffee and dump 1/2 cup in the beans if you want. Add 1/2 cup fine minced carrots at bleach time (about eleven). Serve at noon with soda crackers and slaw you made the night before. For washday this is a pretty good deal.

Then there's Grand Canyon Cake, which features sedimentary layers. The writer describes the cake as being a wonderful treat for someone that's going to, or just got back from vacationing at the Grand Canyon. It's also very educational for children. Since the whole cake is soaked in Whiskey Sauce, I imagine it could be VERY educational...

The centerpiece of the book features National Geographic quality photographs of homes, food, folk art, and some of the Southern residents who make, serve and eat these recipes.

And now - The Horror, The Horror

Dana Pullen's Chicken Feet & Rice
This one includes instructions for the best way to eat chicken feet. Gnaw on 'em.

Cooter Pie
Which is the grossest part? Tossing a live turtle in boiling water, or cleaning its shell to use as a bowl?

Aunt Donna's Roast Possum
Sorry, I just can't do this one. My mother had a "pet" possum. It's not that I was overly crazy about the thing, but as Han Solo once said, "I thought they smelled bad...on the outside."

[Tressa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this cookbook back when it first came out in the late '80s. It caused a minor sensation because of the derogatory title. But you know what? It's an homage to southern home cooking surprisingly without the snark. The recipes are common but tasty, the shotgun shacks are welcoming, and the faces in the photographs seem like old friends to this longtime southerner. Isn't there a little white trash in all of us?

Kick back, listen to Mary Chapin Carpenter's poignant "I Am a Town" and enjoy.

[Nitrorockets · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are so many things I didn't know. Like that the food I ate as a child was not too far from most of the recipes. Very interesting combination of recipes with straight instructional directions and general guidelines. Cooking in this book is meant to be enjoyable and not overdone. Make it how you like it and don't apologize if it won't be eaten or if you have to serve it straight from the can.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious, some definite “white trash” recipes, some just good old southern cooking recipes! Found at an antique shop and was an impulse buy from the cover alone!

[Aleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this gem up at on the discount shelf. I was drawn to it like a bear to honey. I just had to buy it, not because I wanted to make Midnight Crunchy Crumb Tuna Casserole or Peanut Butter Bacon Bread (which by the way isn't half bad if you replace the bacon with chocolate chips), but because it's anthropological sampling of these people's lives. Besides the recipes, there are pictures and stories. Plus the instructions are often written in the vernacular of the person who submitted it. For instance the recipe of Fried Cooter (turtle) begins with "When the cooter sticks it's head out, cut it off with a hatchet." I highly recommend giving this book a try, though I can't really recommend any of the recipes.

[June · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the funniest cook book I have ever read. But, as I read it I came to the realization that I am white trash. Yep. Through and through. Or at least I grew up eating white trash food. Except cooter. Don't think I've ever heard of cooter, much less eaten it. After reading the book I now know that "cooter" is turtle. The main thing I liked about this book: the recipes. Took me right back to my childhood. This book is a keeper.

[Lucinda Charter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this cookbook! I was raised in the southern plains and I saw several recipes that I remembered from my childhood, including tater tot casserole. While I can't say that we ever ate any of the more "adventurous" dishes, the recipes and cultural references definitely brought back some memories.

Truly a fun, humorous read. Who knows, you might even find some yummy recipes - I did!

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bet a white trash dinner party would be fun: Mock cooter (turtle) stew, 'possum, Betty Sue's Sister-in-Law's Fried Eggplant, Oleta Brown's Turnip Greens...okay, maybe just the last two :-).Still, the book is less of a joke and more of a cookbook, but some of the recipes are out there. I had fun flipping through Nitrorocket's copy. Maybe you will too.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say this is one of my all-time favorite books. I gave a copy to my very sophisticated Uncle Douggie and after he passed on and I saw his book, so dog-eared and grease-stained, I was really touched that he had enjoyed it so throughly. This is not a book that should be pristine and sanitary: it should have a dedication in the front, notes and bookmarks throughout, and be soggy with spills.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, this is more of an entertaining read than a reference for recipes, but it's fun and interesting. And honestly, where else are you going to find instructions on how to clean and cook that squirrel you shot in the backyard? Ever wondered what kind of food you should bring to a cemetery cleanin or a hawg killin? Well, after reading this, you'd know.

[Chuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not a joke. It serves as both an excellent cookbook and a sociological statement of the poor South at its time of publication. I've owned this book for over ten years and it's become a treasure.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I had to choose between my copy of this cookbook or my Nigella and Ina cookbooks, I'd choose this one (and its sequel!), hands down. This book is meant to be read and savored, much like Tutti's Fruited Porkettes and the Resurrection Cake.

[Saptarishi · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the words of the wise bookseller (who sold me my copy with an understanding shake of the head and a curled smile...as if he could see that I was about to find religion)...."Classic".

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly entertaining and actually contains some yummy recipes.

[Cookiesue9x · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Mother introduced me to this gem and thought it was the funniest thing she ever saw, I treasure her copy !

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Country food-so good. The photos are priceless.

[Miss Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute cookbook that was published during my youth in the 1986. Some of these recipes remind me of my youth. I actually think I might be able to successfully make a few of these recipes too.

[Koeeoaddi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't eat a single thing in this book and yet I love it so much I may have to exchange my library copy for one of my very own. Not only are the recipes genuinely funny, but I just want to sit down on the porch with this book, stuff myself with Raenelle's Jail House Chili, gossip about Crystal-Lynn Harley's lying, no account, gold-digging daughter-in-law and get so skunk drunk that somebody else'll have to get up and clean the possum.

Love the beautiful Andrew Wyeth-like country Gothic photographs, too.

[Disclaimer: roadkill is most definitely off my list of approved foods and it's been decades since I've touched any of Nanny Goodfarm's Mountain Tonic]

[Elise Noorda · Rating 1 out of 5]

How do you rate a book so awful it's almost really good? If you've been wanting recipes for possum, squirrel or gator tail, this is the book for you. Every recipe contains either hamhock, cornmeal or molasses. (Really, there IS a recipe for gator tail - I can't believe it!) Our cello teacher had the book there - someone gave it to her. Funny.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the recipes are extremely easy and fun, others are gonna be tough to find ingredients for... (Possum? Not at shoprite.) I love the photos, they have a strong sense of time and place for me. It is entertaining to read this, even if you're not really into cooking. which I'm not.

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really fun read. Most recipes aren't vegetarian-friendly, but I didn't expect them to be. So many of the dishes are very similar to what I grew up eating, so—bless my heart—many of them sound pretty good!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

For all the humor in this book and the name may be an obvious turn off it is an important cookbook. For most of us we will recognize several of these dishes from our childhood or ethnic background or area of the country and realize we ARE WHITE TRASH.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Mother gave me a copy of White Trash Cooking. She has been gone for many years but I always think of her when I pick it up because we had so much fun with it. That connection makes it a favorite in my book. Love the "High Calorie Pick-Me-Up" recipe.

[Amber Andrews Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

You will forget it's a cookbook because of the pictures and the side stories. I've made several recipes over the years and recognize some dishes from old family gatherings.
Ordered all my books from a bookstore years before the Internet......I had to have more after the first read.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first, I thought it was satire. Especially with all the names for puddin' and a section about squirrels. But it looks legit, I guess. Rat cheese = cheddar cheese, butter goes in hot cocoa, and a high calorie boost is a bag of peanuts in Pepsi. Enjoy!

[jochem · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great read! the recipes are funny as hell (e.g. possum) but do not sound that tasty though

[Rebecca]

A gift from my sister who will buy a book about trash but who cannot bring herself to throw it away.

[Leitha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great cook book that every southerner can relate to! Before the internet, this is where you went for your roadkill recipe.

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my go to cookbook when I don't know what to make for a potluck. People are always so surprised when they learn where the recipe came from. :-)

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received this as a gift. I just love leaving it out in my kitchen for guests to see. No worries friends..I've never actually cooked anything out of it.