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Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking: A Cookbook by Toni Tipton-Martin
qqjj's review against another edition
informative
reflective
4.0
This cookbook is heavy on the historical content and food writing, and it is invaluable, so don't just skip over it to get to the recipes. I'm still working on making some more recipes, but I loved reading about the food history the author shared and the charming old recipes (offset from the main recipes, I don't think these old recipes are meant to be followed, as they are less precise with quantities and techniques). It was wonderful to be able to see the evolution of the cuisine through the recipes that have been passed down and published over the generations.
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Jubilee is a fascinating insight into two centuries of African American cooking. It is both a culinary history and a celebration of the cuisine. I liked the way Tipton-Martin placed the food in the wider context of African American history and explained the pedigree of each recipe, how various cooks and chefs prepared it, and how and why she then combined and tweaked those recipes to make them own. Interspersed with these main recipes are some reproduced verbatim from vintage cookbooks which adds a nice historical flavour. As a non-American I hadn’t really thought about African-American cooking before I stumbled across this book, and if pressed on the subject I’m sure I would have resorted to the friend chicken and collard greens/soul food stereotype. I now know that African-American cooking is much more diverse and varied.
And the recipes themselves? The ones I tried were easy to foll
And the recipes themselves? The ones I tried were easy to foll
pattydsf's review against another edition
4.0
”As I knelt on the cool hardwood floor in my home office, surrounded by books that span nearly two hundred years of black cooking, I realized my ancestors had left us a very special gift: a gift of freedom, culinary freedom.”
“In Jublilee, I have tried to honor the kind of joyous cooking that would have turned yesterday’s enslaved and free cooks into today’s celebrity chefs with glittering reputations grounded in restaurant fare and cookbook publishing.”
Tipton-Martin pulled out all the stops when she assembled this cookbook. It is beautiful, the recipes are interesting, and the history lessons are amazing. I learned so much about American cookery history and the role of African-American cooks in that story. Not only did many of the recipes come with a story, but periodically Tipton-Martin included an actual older recipe. We have become accustomed to a standardized recipe format, but that is fairly new. Some of the older recipes made me wonder how anyone could cook well from such scant instruction.
I am so impressed that Tipton-Martin was able to uncover so much valuable information. She says that she looked everywhere for cookbooks by African-Americans and I believe it. In each section of this book, Tipton-Martin quotes from a variety of cooks and chefs.
If you enjoy cookbooks, I highly recommend this one.
“In Jublilee, I have tried to honor the kind of joyous cooking that would have turned yesterday’s enslaved and free cooks into today’s celebrity chefs with glittering reputations grounded in restaurant fare and cookbook publishing.”
Tipton-Martin pulled out all the stops when she assembled this cookbook. It is beautiful, the recipes are interesting, and the history lessons are amazing. I learned so much about American cookery history and the role of African-American cooks in that story. Not only did many of the recipes come with a story, but periodically Tipton-Martin included an actual older recipe. We have become accustomed to a standardized recipe format, but that is fairly new. Some of the older recipes made me wonder how anyone could cook well from such scant instruction.
I am so impressed that Tipton-Martin was able to uncover so much valuable information. She says that she looked everywhere for cookbooks by African-Americans and I believe it. In each section of this book, Tipton-Martin quotes from a variety of cooks and chefs.
If you enjoy cookbooks, I highly recommend this one.
carameck's review against another edition
5.0
The actual recipes almost come second in this book to Tipton-Martin’s beautiful writing about the history and culture of the food and recipes of African American cooking. Almost every (if not every) recipe is accompanied by a photo of the finished dish, and they all look mouth-watering. Some are more involved, but none appear to be terribly difficult.
thuja's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful pictures, interesting and thought-provoking history, and tasty recipes!
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