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Classical Southern Cooking
by Damon Lee Fowler
Gibbs Smith
ISBN 978-1-4236-0225-5
Published September 2008 - Softcover - 416 pages - $30.00

I love Fowler's other cookbook, The Savannah Cookbook so much that I decided to take a look at what else he's written.  This book is a hulking 416 pages, a fully updated and revised edition of the "bible of Southern foodways," which not only imparts the history of Southern food, but it is also a personal attachment to Fowler's own surroundings.  Indignant at the belief of others that Southern food is only "grits, overcooked greens, and hog grease," and don't forget fried chicken, Damon Lee Fowler set off on a culinary journey of discovery.  After all, if Italian food can be so celebrated a cuisine, why not the South's?  Why not indeed.  Every place everywhere has its own distinct flavor and is often worth checking out.  However, Mr. Fowler went further than just "checking things out."  He delved, dug, and tasted so much that anyone interested in the origins of Southern food, as well as a history lesson, will love this charming and rather heart-warming book.  He goes back a good few hundred years and says the food foundation was built on the English culture, and expanded from there when people from all over started trickling into the South.  Influences are evident of French cooking, African, German, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, Asian, Greek, and more.  Over and above the history (and spices and early equipment), Fowler offers an extensive Contents, of which these are some: Dishes for Teas, Receptions, and In-Betweens; Soups; Fish and Shellfish; Meats; The Southern Way with Vegetables; Grits, Rice, and Noodles, and Desserts, and Conserves.  Some of the recipes that jumped out at me (newish or old) include: Asparagus Soup; Stuffed Spinach Soup; Annabella Hill's Curry Sauce for Cutlets; Country Ham in Champagne (sounds divine); Mushrooms with Cream; Creamed Squash; Theresa Brown's Lobster Salad; Soda Cornbread, and Sweet Potato Custard (sounds yummy).  A great source for anyone wishing to try authentic old recipes, or at least learn about them.  I loved the stories behind the recipes.
Partially illustrated.  No nutritional guides.
Conclusion - Love the history, the recipes, the humor, and what the history of sharing really means.