The Taste of Country Cooking: 50th Anniversary Edition by Edna Lewis

  • Braised forequarter of mutton

    from The Taste of Country Cooking The Taste of Country Cooking by Edna Lewis

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Notes about this book

  • SueLau on December 03, 2024

    1d

Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Chicken with dumplings

    • Rlancto on January 20, 2026

      Overall a classic version of chicken and dumplings. Cooking the whole chicken with the extra wing pieces gives the broth pure chicken flavor. The dumpling dough is very simple to put together. Perfect for a cold evening meal.

  • Damson preserves

    • Bloominanglophile on October 06, 2013

      This is the exact same recipe as the one in In Pursuit of Flavor, where I have also added a note. Don't overcook the plums--this jam jells quickly. The pits are left in for flavor, but they can be a bit of a nuisance to pick out of the jars!

  • Glazed carrots

    • Bloominanglophile on October 06, 2013

      I gave this 4 stars back in 1995, with the note that my husband would like them without sugar. I would definitely reduce the amount nowadays, as my tastes have changed since then, but I still think they need at least a smidge of sugar (otherwise they are just buttered carrots, not glazed ones in my opinion).

    • sarah_tptfm6 on April 06, 2026

      These honestly rocked, super simple and delicious

  • Lima beans in cream

    • mcvl on May 14, 2020

      Luckily, I've always felt that dried beans are like money in the bank, so when Covid confinement began I was already well stocked. (Rancho Gordo is currently sold out of */everything/*.) I cooked dried lima beans in a broth made from braised lamb shoulder with many Middle Eastern herbs, then, at Edna Lewis's suggestion, ate the beans with cream. Wowsa.

    • redbird on December 10, 2025

      Interesting side dish. Used RG baby green lima beans cooked with onions and carrots. Added a bit of dried thyme to cream. Will definitely make again.

  • New cabbage with scallions

    • Dannausc on January 09, 2021

      Super easy. I liked it, but my wife didn’t care for it.

  • Salad of Grand Rapids lettuce leaves and romaine

    • MissKoo on March 22, 2024

      A particularly fresh and vibrant simple green salad. Used romaine and locally available curly green lettuce since the specific lettuce mentioned wasn't available. The recipe does not specify what kind of vinegar to use so I chose an artisanal Italian "Vinagro di Pinot Grigio" from the local culinary shop. The dressing is simply vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar. No oil. And salad can be dressed up to an hour before serving. This was made for a cookbook dinner based on Edna Lewis's recipes. Everyone thought the salad was an excellent palate cleanser and the flavor of the dressing notably enhanced by not having oil in it. Will definitely keep this recipe in mind for dinner parties, brunches, and simple suppers for one or two.

  • Warm gingerbread with sweetened whipped cream

    • LumiCooks on January 21, 2026

      I left out the lard completely, and used Grandma’s Original molasses, per recent David Lebovitz newsletter suggestion. Turned out great!

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Reviews about this book

  • Food52 by Celia Sack

    Edna's recipes and writings about Southern cookery make me want to be a better cook. My favorite of her recipes is the Pan-fried Sweet Potatoes.

    Full review

  • Food52

    Originally published in the 1970s, Lewis’ watershed book on the Southern kitchen captures a seasonally and regionally driven cuisine of generations past...relevant to today’s home cook.

    Full review
  • ISBN 10 0593804953
  • ISBN 13 9780593804957
  • Published May 05 2026
  • Format Hardcover
  • Page Count 304
  • Language English
  • Edition Anniversary
  • Countries United States
  • Publisher Knopf

Publishers Text

A stunning 50th anniversary edition of one of the most beloved cookbooks of all time, by “the empress of Southern cooking” (The New Yorker), beautifully repackaged and redesigned, with a new foreword by Toni Tipton-Martin

With the publication of The Taste of Country Cooking, Edna Lewis proclaimed the food of the American South as one of the world’s great cuisines. From Baked Virginia Ham and Corn Muffins to Oyster Stew and Lemon Meringue Pie, Miss Lewis (as she was almost universally known) extolled the vir­tues of the good food of her childhood, spent in a Virginia farming community founded by her grandfather and his friends after emancipation. A celebration of eating locally—decades before “farm to table” became common parlance—the book catalogs the joys of cooking with the seasons: the field greens and salads of spring, pan-fried chicken and crushed peaches in summer, baked ham and sweet potatoes for fall, and hearty soups and stews during the cold winter months. An affirmation of a distinctly American way of eating, half a century after its publica­tion, it remains the definitive book on Southern cooking.

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