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Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South
Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South | John T Edge
A people's history that reveals how Southerners shaped American culinary identity and how race relations impacted Southern food culture over six revolutionary decades Like great provincial dishes around the world, potlikker is a salvage food. During the antebellum era, slave owners ate the greens from the pot and set aside the leftover potlikker broth for the enslaved, unaware that the broth, not the greens, was nutrient rich. After slavery, potlikker sustained the working poor, both black and white. In the South of today, potlikker has taken on new meanings as chefs have reclaimed it. Potlikker is a quintessential Southern dish, and The Potlikker Papers is a people's history of the modern South, told through its food. Beginning with the pivotal role cooks and waiters played in the civil rights movement, noted authority John T. Edge narrates the South's fitful journey from a hive of racism to a hotbed of American immigration. He shows why working-class Southern food has become a vital driver of contemporary American cuisine. Food access was a battleground issue during the 1950s and 1960s. Ownership of culinary traditions has remained a central contention on the long march toward equality. The Potlikker Papers tracks pivotal moments in Southern history, from the back-to-the-land movement of the 1970s to the rise of fast and convenience foods modeled on rural staples. Edge narrates the gentrification that gained traction in the restaurants of the 1980s and the artisanal renaissance that began to reconnect farmers and cooks in the 1990s. He reports as a newer South came into focus in the 2000s and 2010s, enriched by the arrival of immigrants from Mexico to Vietnam and many points in between. Along the way, Edge profiles extraordinary figures in Southern food, including Fannie Lou Hamer, Colonel Sanders, Mahalia Jackson, Edna Lewis, Paul Prudhomme, Craig Claiborne, and Sean Brock. Over the last three generations, wrenching changes have transformed the South. The Potlikker Papers tells the story of that dynamism--and reveals how Southern food has become a shared culinary language for the nation.
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RidgewayGirl
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Pickpick

Fascinating, optimistic and very readable. I learned so much about this troubled and contradictory place I call home, not just the extraordinary food.

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ValerieAndBooks
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Scenes from Nashville! We were there a few days. Older son looking into whether he wants to find a job there. Also visited Vanderbilt Univ with younger son (bottom middle). Spied two books in their bookstore I now want to read but didn‘t buy.

Also visited Country Music Hall of Fame, RCA Studio B (not pictured), full-scale replica of the Parthenon, Johnny Cash museum, downtown Nashville. Good times, but remains to be seen if we‘ll be back soon!

TieDyeDude Very cool! Nashville is high on my list of places to visit 6y
Lynnsoprano Now I know why I hadn‘t seen any new posts from you in a few days. I‘m glad you had a good trip. Potlikker Papers is one that intrigues me, too. 6y
ValerieAndBooks @GoodForCirculation There‘s definitely a lot to see there! I‘m sure you‘d enjoy it. 6y
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ValerieAndBooks @Lynnsoprano I would have loved to buy books on this trip— but as it was feeding a 23 year old and a 17 year old males (daughter couldn‘t come along) was costing us a fortune in meals 😂 💸💸💸 6y
Lynnsoprano @ValerieAndBooks Our kids are both married and have their own families, but guess who pays when we go out to eat🤣 6y
ValerieAndBooks @Lynnsoprano I‘m sure they appreciate you treating 😂☺️!! 6y
83 likes6 comments
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Christine
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Pickpick

I‘m really into American food histories lately, and this was another excellent one. Focusing on Southern food since the 1950s, it covered so many topics - none very in depth, but all well enough that I kept thinking “I‘d love to read a whole book about that.” Some faves included food and civil rights activism; farming hippies; black-owned restaurants/chains; Edna Lewis; the rise of artisanal everything. Politically aware and great writing, too.

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Etpayne27
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Pickpick

The highest praise that can be given to The Potlikker Papers is that it will have you thinking more about your food: where did it come from? Who cooked it? What does it mean that you‘re able to enjoy it today? While the book doesn‘t really live up to the end of its bargain as a full study on the etymology of southern food, it does paint a picture of a Southern food economy more complex than Black and White.

Jess7 Welcome to Litsy ! Checkout these #Litsytips: http://bit.ly/litsytips and #LitsyHowTo videos: http://bit.ly/litsyvideos - they‘re great for new Littens! #LitsyWelcomeWagon @LitsyWelcomeWagon 7y
readinginthedark Sounds interesting! 7y
StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego Welcome to Litsy 🖐 7y
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RaimeyGallant Welcome! 7y
Wife Welcome to Litsy!🌹 7y
ReadZenRites Hi!👋🏻 Welcome ✨📚✨ 7y
Etpayne27 That‘s for the welcome all! 7y
asiriusreader Welcome to Litsy! 7y
12 likes1 stack add8 comments
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Booksnchill
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Nashville Reads is a season long Nashville City book club where we all join in reading the same book. The selection last year was March v.1 and this year is it the tagged book! All my local peeps check it out- a great book that I own but, as is the nature of my vast tbr, have only skimmed, not yet read! More info at #parnassusbooks website.

ReadingEnvy Oh cool I have this one on my shelf too! 7y
britt_brooke Thanks for tagging me! 7y
SassyBookworm I‘m gonna have to check this out!!! Looks interesting! 7y
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PirateJenny The paperback is coming out very soon 7y
Booksnchill @Chrysta23 @PirateJenny it is cool and yes- good tip the pb is out next tuesday I think. 7y
Booksnchill @HeatherBookNerd check out the parnassus site for the links to everything going on in town around this read a long- some cool things! 7y
75 likes2 stack adds7 comments
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clepiane

Just heard about this one on John Grisham's Book Tour podcast. Being from the south am excited to check it out!

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OffTheBeatenShelf.com
Pickpick

Love love loved this. I grew up in Alabama and had no idea about the history behind Southern food and how Southern food was a part of the turbulent politics in the South. I just knew we ate what we ate and that was that. This book was absolutely fascinating! And it's great on audio because John T. Edge reads it himself and he's got kind of a dreamy voice in my opinion. (Not as good as Neil Gaiman's, but whose is?!)

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OffTheBeatenShelf.com

Y'all. I don't even like to cook and this book is one of the best things I've read this year. Holy shit John T. Edge is brilliant. History of the south through food? Yes, please! And YUM.

coffeenebula Read about this one in the Sierra Club magazine - sounds so interesting! 7y
OffTheBeatenShelf.com @coffeenebula it's incredible. It's the book about food I always wanted, but didn't know existed until now. Warning: it is a little awkward on audio if you listen to books without headphones because there are quotes from people who use the parlance of the times, if you know what I mean. 😬 7y
28 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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Jen2
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Pickpick

Books about food are the best!

alanacristin Agreed! 😃 7y
LuLeeBelle It's one of my favorite sub-genres! 7y
kspenmoll Sounds fabulous! Perfect for my husband! Thx! 7y
113 likes9 stack adds3 comments
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Rhondareads
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Just won this fantastic prize The Potlikker Papers&all these wonderful treats .Perfect to get the summer parties started Thank you @Penguinpress

LeahBergen Oh, this is fantastic! 7y
Simona Congrats 👏👏👏❣️ 7y
12 likes2 comments