• CULINARY HISTORIANS OF NEW YORK• Volume 14, No. 2 Spring 2001 CHNY Steering Committee THE CULINARY BOOKSHELF 2000-2001 Chairperson: Phyllis Isaacson A Gracious Plenty relief program for unemployed Vice-Chairperson: Stephen by John T. Edge writers and newspapermen (virtually Schmidt (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1999) no women had editorial jobs at that Secretary: Lois O’Wyatt time in history). The writers project Treasurer: Lee Coleman REVIEW BY JEANNE LESEM was part of President Franklin Members-at-Large: Roosevelt’s New Deal program Wendy Clapp-Shapiro, VER the years many designed to spur recovery from the Membership cookbooks have featured Depression. Most of its publications Helen Studley, Programs the cooking of the were guidebooks to the (then) 48 John W. R. Jenkins, Publicity O American South, but none so mem- states. America Eats was never pub- orably as this one. The recipes are lished in its entirety. The Mississippi a walk down memory lane for findings were published in a 1997 CHNY Information Hotline Southerners, no matter where they folklore journal, and the Library of (212) 501-3738 live now. And the anecdotes and Congress and various state libraries stories surrounding the recipes are share repository responsibilities, as fascinating as a good novel in according to Edge, who is director CHNY Newsletter: which descriptions of food and of the Southern Foodways Alliance Editor: Helen Brody drink consumed move the plot of the Center for the Study of Copy Editor: Karen Berman along in ways that dialogue cannot. Southern Culture. As Ellen Rolfes writes in the Stories and reminiscences cited Please send, fax, or e-mail all epilogue, “A good cookbook is a in A Gracious Plenty came from newsletter correspondence to: storybook compiled to document a many people, including Ed Scott, Helen Brody time and place … No matter what an African-American catfish farmer PO Box 923 the food or the meal or the in the Mississippi Delta, who 19 Trillium Lane circumstance, when two or more writes of feeding Freedom Riders Grantham, NH 03753 are gathered at the meal table, we during the 1960s. Others include [email protected] are connected—to the past, to one bluesman B.B. King, who shares (603)863-5299 another, and to the future.” memories of the feast that he and (603)863-8943 Fax The title is a genteel Southern other sharecroppers enjoyed on term for “I’m all full up,” as in “I’ve Sundays; author/editor Roy CHNY encourages the had a gracious plenty, thank you,” or, Blount, Jr. who recalls his mother’s submission to the newsletter of put another way, it means “an gravies; and author Shelby Foote, articles relating to culinary elegant sufficiency.” Most of the who reminisces about the Hot history, member news, and other recipes are drawn from community Tamale Man, who brought a taste pertinent information. Articles cookbooks, but a few came from of home to Mexican migrant should be no longer than 1,500 research for America Eats, a book- laborers in the Mississippi Delta’s words. The editor has the right length survey compiled by the cotton fields. to edit for length, clarity, Federal Writers Project between The community cookbook accuracy, and punctuation. 1935 and 1942. During that time, recipes are almost invariably the federal government ran a work- Continued on page 2 Bookshelf, from page 1 attributed to individuals; and tend to reflect local, regional, and per- TRAVELER’S JOURNAL sonal eating habits and preferences. For Yankees and others who may not speak Southern culinary Of Creole Sauce, Mountain language, there’s a useful glossary that demystifies such things as Chicken, and Cannibals... alligator pears AKA avocados (so- By Millie Delahunty called because of the fruit’s reptil- ian skin) and butter beans (limas). VACATION spent sailing speaking and, because we knew One quibble: the Key Lime Pie with friends affords an only a smattering of French, recipe on page 288 inexplicably interesting perspective on flexibility in food shopping turned ignores the classic recipe using A an area’s people, food, and out to be essential. Produce, even condensed milk, a recipe that was economy. Usually, we charter a including the local bananas, was in developed in the Florida Keys. In 44-foot boat and sail about the poor condition. Packaged cold cuts the days before good refrigeration, region, visiting various islands and and cheeses did have “sell by” dates families relied on canned milk points of interest. For this trip we on them, so we felt safe with these. because they had no way of had decided upon Guadeloupe and Milk came in aseptic packaging, as protecting fresh dairy products the neighboring islands of Les did orange juice. Bottled water was from spoilage in the hot climate. Saintes and Dominica. Christopher available in suspicious abundance, Warning: you’ll need a bright Columbus discovered Guadeloupe together with beer (German, light and a magnifying glass to read on his second trip in November, American, and Jamaican), and some of the small print in the boxes 1493, naming it in honor of Our wine. Since we planned to eat most labeled “Our Southern Receipt.” Lady of Guadalupe de Extre- meals ashore, we bought only the Printing them on a white back- madura to thank her for protection everyday necessities, snacks, and ground would have helped a lot. during a storm on his first some canned tuna. The book was written for the expedition. Guadeloupe is actually Our first meal in Guadeloupe Center for the Study of Southern an archipelago of islands at the was at La Bananeraie. It was highly Culture, which was founded at the peak of the arc formed by the recommended by the French University of Mississippi, in 1977. Lesser Antilles, between the charter staff as having both good The Southern Foodways Alliance Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic and typical Creole food. With is a newly formed institute of the Ocean. The principal island, reservations for seven o’clock, we CSSC; the Alliance publishes a Guadeloupe is made up of two set out in our rental car and found quarterly newsletter, the Southern parts, Grande-Terre and Basse- the restaurant on a dark, not too Foodways Register. For membership Terre. well-paved, road in Sainte-Anne, information, go to the website: Grande-Terre, to the east, is east of the marina. From the www.olemiss.edu or Email mostly flat with a dry climate and outside it appeared unpromising, [email protected]. Additional has sugar plantations which sort of a run-down, beaten-up, old- information can be obtained from produce sugar with a light taste of fashioned American roadhouse. www.southernfoodways.com. molasses. The harvest is still Inside, we found an elegant air- Jeanne Lesem, a freelance jour- transported by oxen-pulled carts. conditioned interior and a courtly nalist and author, was the first food Basse-Terre, to the west, is waiter who spoke some English and editor of United Press International. mountainous and volcanic with was very knowledgeable and helpful Her most recent cookbook, Preserving abundant rain all year, tropical about the food, which turned out to in Today’s Kitchen, won a James forests, and banana plantations. be refined Creole. We also found Bear Foundation Award when first The active volcano, La Soufriere, that we were unfashionably early, published as Preserving Today. towers above Basse-Terre. since no one else arrived until after Guadeloupe is French- 8 p.m. 2 For a starter, we had accras— The next day found us on our crisp crust, and cake. Picture a tart hot fritters made from cod and a way to Les Saintes, a small about three inches in diameter, dough. These are common in the archipelago of nine islands six with four layers, all no more than islands with a variety of miles south of Guadaloupe. We one half-inch thick. First comes a ingredients; they might be fish or sailed to the island of Terre de very short pastry crust, then a vegetable, and once, to our regret, Haut and landed our dinghy near syrupy coconut layer, followed by a were just plain dough. Our seafood the town of Grand Bourg. We pastry cream layer, with a final entrees came with purées of four walked by street vendors selling all topping of a lady finger cake. I was local vegetables; migan (breadfruit, sorts of spices and fruits, many of told that the syrupy coconut takes which was mashed with bananas); them unfamiliar to us. We did three hours to prepare. The tarts “yams,” a delicious green mixture recognize local nutmeg still reminded me of shoo fly pie, for which we couldn’t understand wrapped in its delicate lace netting, having the same very sweet and the explanation (but which was peppercorns, and hot peppers. filling attributes. probably partially the young leaves Dinner that night was at Though we had enjoyed Nilce’s of dasheen, a spinach-like Nilce’s Bar on the ferry pier. The Bar, we decided the next night to vegetable); and plaintain. The set menu included blackened tuna try Les Amandiers on the town seafood itself had a “Creole sauce,” (with the ubiquitous Creole sauce, square. One choice on the menu which was milder and thinner than this time a bit thicker because it was Poisson en Court Bouillon. one would expect, and had no was emulsified), an excellent salad Rather than a whole fish, we were tomatoes, but plenty of garlic. (unusual since greens do not keep served slices of a white-fleshed fish, “Creole sauce” turned out to be well in hot weather), and pigeon cooked in broth with onions, different on each island, probably peas (another local vegetable).