Southern Homecoming Traditions: Recipes and Remembrances

The fourth installment in Tillery's African-American Heritage Cookbook series (At Freedom's Table, A Taste of Freedom), is similar in tone and style: each is really two books in one, a collection of regional recipes as well as a detailed examination of a particular facet of African-American history. In this volume, Tillery focuses on Atlanta's African-American educational institutions: Morehouse, Spelman, Morris Brown and others. The historical information and accompanying photos are engaging in and of themselves, with detailed information about prominent alumni such as Spike Lee and Julian Bond, as well as less well-known graduates. But the recipes are what really set the book apart. The compilation of over 230 soups, appetizers, drinks, sides and main dishes is a sterling collection of Southern staples with a twist. Mustard Greens with Smoked Turkey, Pickled Black-Eyed Pea Dip and Honeyed Sweet Potato Chips-an ingenious combination of ground honey-roasted peanuts and thinly sliced sweet potatoes seasoned and baked-are just a few of the recipes begging for a turn in the kitchen. One of the hallmarks of southern cooking, and soul food in particular, is regional ingredients used to their fullest potential. Tillery's book couldn't exemplify that rule better: fresh peaches, for example, are used to give a pina colada a Southern kick, as an addition to salsa and as a sweetener in a mustard sauce for chicken wings. Even those who consider themselves well-versed in southern cooking will learn a thing or two from Tillery's book, which deserves space on the shelf of any cook who's serious about American cooking.