Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread Scuppernong Wine By Monet100 on Dec 11, 2007 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

As a historical researcher and lover of all things related to Appalachian history, I purchased "Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread & Scuppernong Wine" by Joseph E. Dabney at the recommendation of a friend who shares my eclectic tastes. Written somewhat in the spirit of the Foxfire series, "Smokehouse" bills itself as "The Folklore and Art of Southern Appalachian Cooking."

"A celebration of foodlore handed down from Scotland, England, Ireland, Germany and the Cherokee Nation," the folklore and stories are good, although maybe a little incomplete despite the book's size. However, the commentary does enhance the recipes. So that's a definite plus.

Speaking of recipes, if you are looking for good old-fashioned Southern cooking, this is definitely the place to find it. You can find recipes from angel biscuits to roasted corn to pan fried trout to blackberry dumplings. Literally everthing from soup to nuts with a bunch of other good stuff in between.

This book won the James Beard/KitchenAid Cookbook of the Year Award. It would definitely make a great addition to any traditional cookbook collection.