8 African-American Cookbooks You Should Know About

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Title: The Jemima Code: Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks

About: Author Toni Tipton-Martin is an award-winning food journalist who’s love for food drove her to create The Jemima Code blog. The website documents her love for African-American cuisine. She turned her website into a book this year. She has spent years amassing one of the world’s largest private collections of cookbooks published by African-American authors, looking for evidence of their impact on American food, families, and communities and for ways we might use that knowledge to inspire community wellness of every kind. The book has over 150 cookbooks included.

 

 

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Title: A Date with a Dish: Classic African-American Recipes

About: Freda De Knight was a famous chef who was most active in 1940s and 50s that aimed at dispelling stereotypes about Black chefs. “It is a fallacy, long disproved, that Negro cooks, chefs, caterers and homemakers can adapt themselves only to the standard Southern dishes. Like other Americans living in various sections of the country, they have naturally shown a desire to become versatile in the preparation of any dish,” the book’s preface states. The recipes start with appetizers, cheese, soups, relishes, and sauces, advancing to meats, fowl, fish, and all-in-one dishes. In addition to suggestions for vegetables, salads, and breads, the menu includes a mouthwatering selection of Creole dishes and delightful desserts.

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