Gullah Home Cooking the Daufuskie Way - by Sallie Ann Robinson (Paperback)

About the Book

In this enchanting book, Robinson presents 100 delicious, robust recipes from her native Sea Islands--including salads and side dishes, seafood, meat and game, rice, quick meals, breads, and desserts--and offers readers a taste of the unique, West African-influenced Gullah culture still found there. Gregory Wrenn Smith's photographs evoke the sights and tastes of Daufuskie.

Book Synopsis

"If there's one thing we learned coming up on Daufuskie," remembers Sallie Ann Robinson, "it's the importance of good, home-cooked food." In this enchanting book, Robinson presents the delicious, robust dishes of her native Sea Islands and offers readers a taste of the unique, West African-influenced Gullah culture still found there.

Living on a South Carolina island accessible only by boat, Daufuskie folk have traditionally relied on the bounty of fresh ingredients found on the land and in the waters that surround them. The one hundred home-style dishes presented here include salads and side dishes, seafood, meat and game, rice, quick meals, breads, and desserts. Gregory Wrenn Smith's photographs evoke the sights and tastes of Daufuskie.

"Here are my family's recipes," writes Robinson, weaving warm memories of the people who made and loved these dishes and clear instructions for preparing them. She invites readers to share in the joys of Gullah home cooking the Daufuskie way, to make her family's recipes their own.

Review Quotes

"A fascinating cookbook. . . . Robinson knows what to do with classic soul food ingredients like pig's feet, ham hocks, chitterlings and even possum. But Southern food lovers will also find plenty of down-to-earth recipes."--New York Times Book Review

"A funny, heart-warming story of growing up on Daufuskie Island and how and why the Gullah culture cooks and eats as it does. . . . With warmth and intelligence, Robinson relates her life, her philosophy, her hopes, her dreams and . . . her favorite recipes. . . . A perfect gift for the serious cook who takes pleasure in studying various cuisines and cultures."--Macon Magazine

"A unique look at natives of the Sea Islands of South Carolina . . . through delicious recipes and stories."--Black Issues Book Review

"Delicious, authentic recipes . . . [a] cultural testament to Lowcountry cooking and living."--Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Full of homey yarns of the islanders' subsistence life and their wonderful efficiency."--More

"Opens the front door of Robinson's garden and childhood and welcome[s] you right in."--Chicago Tribune

"Robinson has captured her family's life and meals. . . . [Her] descriptions of island life are so clear and bright that you can almost taste the meals she describes."--Cookbook Digest

"Robinson writes with the same freshness, warmth, love and forthright honesty about growing up in an almost forgotten corner of the world."--Damon Lee Fowler, Savannah Morning News

"Robinson's stories come from another era . . . and her memoir provides a warm, touching account of a time gone by."--Library Journal

"The book [has a] unique, almost anthropological intrigue. . . . This is not a cookbook meant for nouveau palates as much as it is for the preservation of a unique, fascinating culture. Wonderful to browse through and experiment with, this is an excellent volume for anyone interested in Southern and African-American culture and food."--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Sallie Ann Robinson was born and raised on Daufuskie Island, South Carolina, and is dedicated to sharing the richness of her native Gullah culture. She now lives in Savannah, Georgia. Gregory Wrenn Smith is a photographer, writer, and editor who has worked to document the history and culture of the South Carolina Lowcountry. He lives in Bluffton, South Carolina.