Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread...

By Joseph Earl Dabney

"Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread, & Scuppernong Wine" is a scrumptious slice of Smokey Mountain and Blue Ridge hill-country folklore handed down from Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, Germany, and the Cherokee Nation. Highlighting and embracing the art of Appalachian cuisine from pioneer days to the present, it provides insights that will fascinate readers everywhere.

The book is divided into four sections -- The Folklore, The Art, The Foods, The Blessings -- all packed with authoritative folklore and authentic Appalachian recipes, as well as old-time photographs; fireplace and wood stove cooking, hog killing, bear hunting, shuck-bean stringing, apple butter making, and corn shuckin's are just a few of the many subjects explored.

The Folklore explores the people, seasons, and social life of Southern Appalachia as they pertain to food. The Art focuses on growing, gardening, farming by the signs, food preparation, and food preservation. The more than 200 recipes are accompanied by anecdotes about how the foods have been passes from generation to generation. And the Blessings section includes numerous hill-country invocations.