Food and Recipes Kitchen Assistant 10 Cookbooks Every Southerner Should Own By Hannah Hayes Hannah Hayes Hannah Hayes is an Editor for Wildsam. Previously, she was the Travel + Culture Editor at Southern Living. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on August 11, 2017 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Laurey W. Glenn In the South, cookbooks are considered just as high an art form as our literature. So much more than recipes, cookbooks communicate our culture in tactile terms and humanize the stories passed down in them. They help us understand our sense of place and home. To name just 10 books from the South that do all those things and more (like help us learn the alchemy behind pimiento cheese) is challenging, but if pressed to pick a few for those beginning their cookbook collection or those wanting to complete it, these books would be worthy additions. 01 of 10 The Gift of Southern Cooking Amazon by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock While each of these author's contributions stand alone, it's in their friendship that they take on the natural Southern repose of dialogue. It's in their back and forth between their differences and similarities, Lewis' Virginia roots in a small farming community founded by freed slaves and Peacock's Alabama upbringing, that a more complete picture of Southern cooking comes into focus. Buy It: $20.33; amazon.com 02 of 10 The Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook Amazon Edited by Sara Roahen and John T. Edge Drawing upon the tradition of spiral bound community cookbooks from Junior Leagues and civic groups across the South, the Southern Foodways Alliance applied the concept to the greater South by employing their favorite chefs and writers to contribute recipes from cornbread to tomatoe pie and gumbo z'herbes. They illustrate the microregions of cooking traditions and how they come together like patchwork quilt. Buy It: $18.67; amazon.com 03 of 10 Real Cajun Amazon By Donald Link While many came to understand Cajun cooking from prototypical celebrity chef Paul Prudhomme and his famous blackened redfish, Chef Donald Link (Herbsaint, Peche, Cochon) gives readers a deeper sense of Cajun cooking traditions and ingredients from his both enigmatic and rustic homeland. Buy It: $20.30; amazon.com 04 of 10 Southern Cakes Amazon By Nancie McDermott Nancie McDermott's approachable, joyful, and intensely thoughtful demeanor comes through in recipes that are equally sweet and educational. This is an essential for any Southern baker who wants to know more behind the true histories and techniques behind Lane, Red Velvet, and Coconut cakes. Buy It: $12.06; amazon.com 05 of 10 Seasoned in the South Amazon By Bill Smith From the chef of one of the most important restaurants in the South, Bill Smith and Crook's Corner, an unassuming cafe in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, helped give Southern food status with national critics and rise to the shrimp and grits phenomenon. Buy It: $12.67; amazon.com 06 of 10 The B.T.C Old-Fashioned Grocery Cookbook Amazon By Alexe Van Beuren and Dixie Grimes Although Alexe Van Beuren, Dixie Grimes and Kagan Coughlin started the B.T.C. Grocery in 2010, the revived business feels like an intrinsic part of Water Valley, Mississippi. The gathering spot has become known for its Tex-Mex pimento cheese, take-home casseroles, and hand-pulled chicken salad. Buy It: $10.88; amazon.com 07 of 10 Root to Leaf Amazon By Steven Satterfield Southerners know that the true beauty of our region's food lies not in the fryer but in the fields, gardens, and groves. James Beard Award-winning Chef Steven Satterfield of Miller Union in Atlanta gives readers a comprehensive guide to cooking with Southern produce through a seasonal lens. Buy It: $29.17; amazon.com 08 of 10 Pick a Pickle Amazon By Hugh Acheson This flash card-like, fold-out booklet of canning and pickling recipes is the kind of construction we wish we saw more of in publishing. With heavy-duty, near-waterproof pages, you won't be afraid to actually reference one of its recipes while you're boiling up a brine for bread and butter pickles. Hugh Acheson's duality of reverence and inventiveness for this ancient culinary art is apparent from his recipes for classic chow chow to carrot and cabbage kimchi. Buy It: $8.16; amazon.com 09 of 10 Charleston Receipts Laurey W. Glenn By the Junior League of Charleston The oldest Junior League community cookbook still in print, Charleston Receipts is the foundation for all spiral bound collections. Buy It: $18.46; amazon.com 10 of 10 Heritage Courtesy Artisan Books By Sean Brock More than recipes, Chef Sean Brock dives into the histories, legacies, stories, and anecdotes that have not only helped shape him into one of the most important voices in Southern culture but also how many voices have brought Southern cooking as a whole to the exciting place it is today. The stunning photography will make you see even the most humble of Southern ingredients in a new, captivating light. Buy It: $26.34; amazon.com Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit