Category: Cooking / Food

Grampa Fed Me Nettles

The following is a guest blog post by Lytton John Musselman, co-author of Edible Wild Plants of the Carolinas: A Forager’s Companion. With Edible Wild Plants of the Carolinas, Lytton John Musselman and Peter W. Schafran offer a full-color guide for the everyday forager. Edible Wild Plants of the Carolinas is designed to help anyone enjoy the many wild plants found in… Continue Reading Grampa Fed Me Nettles

Caribeños at the Table: Setting Hispanic Caribbean Tables in New York City

The following excerpt is from “Setting Hispanic Caribbean Tables in New York City” in Melissa Fuster’s Caribeños at the Table: How Migration, Health, and Race Intersect in New York City. People in Hispanic Caribbean communities in the United States present high rates of obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related diseases, conditions painfully highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both eaters and dietitians… Continue Reading Caribeños at the Table: Setting Hispanic Caribbean Tables in New York City

Happy National Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month: A Reading List

September 15th—October 15th marks National Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month, celebrating the achievements and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Last Friday we shared a virtual conversation hosted by the Center for Political Education featuring UNC Press author Johanna Fernández in acknowledgement of this month, and now also share a recommended reading list that… Continue Reading Happy National Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month: A Reading List

UNC Press author Michael Twitty speaks with Jessica B. Harris and JJ Johnson on New York Botanical Garden’s “The Food Dialogues” series

In June, Michael Twitty, author of Rice: a Savor the South cookbook, had a virtual conversation with award-winning scholar Jessica B. Harris and James Beard Award-winning chef JJ Johnson. The conversation was for New York Botanical Garden’s “The Food Dialogues”, a series of rich conversations with prominent authors, chefs, and food historians that re-examines and redefines our notions of heritage… Continue Reading UNC Press author Michael Twitty speaks with Jessica B. Harris and JJ Johnson on New York Botanical Garden’s “The Food Dialogues” series

New and Recently Released UNC Press Audiobooks

We are pleased to announce the availability of the following UNC Press titles in audiobook format (sample audio excerpts are available via the links below): Closer to Freedom: Enslaved Women and Everyday Resistance in the Plantation South by Stephanie M. H. Camp, published by Tantor Media “Wonderfully evocative. . . . A provocative book full of astonishing, sometimes unforgettable moments.”—Virginia… Continue Reading New and Recently Released UNC Press Audiobooks

Author of Ferris & Ferris book “Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue” Adrian Miller’s Interview with Kevin’s BBQ Joints

In March, Miller sat down with the podcast and YouTube series Kevin’s BBQ Joints to discuss his new book Black Smoke. Adrian Miller is a certified Kansas City Barbecue Society judge and recipient of a James Beard Foundation Book Award for Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time. A consultant on Netflix’s Chef’s Table BBQ, Miller’s… Continue Reading Author of Ferris & Ferris book “Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue” Adrian Miller’s Interview with Kevin’s BBQ Joints

In The Smoke With Marie Jean: A Barbecue Woman Who Built a Freedom Fund

Happy National Barbecue Month! We’re here with a guest blog post from Adrian Miller, author of Ferris and Ferris book Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue. In this post, Adrian gives us some insight into the life of a black woman pitmaster from nineteenth-century Arkansas named Marie Jean. Don’t miss Adrian’s next virtual event this Sunday,… Continue Reading In The Smoke With Marie Jean: A Barbecue Woman Who Built a Freedom Fund

Celebrating the Life of North Carolina’s Barbecue Legend Wilber Shirley

Earlier this month, Wilber Shirley, a true legend in North Carolina’s barbecue world, passed. In honor of his legacy, we have chosen to post his interview from John Shelton Reed, Dale Volberg Reed and William McKinney’s co-authored Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue. “That grease hitting those coals makes the smoked flavor. You can’t spray it on… Continue Reading Celebrating the Life of North Carolina’s Barbecue Legend Wilber Shirley

Emily Contois: How I Wrote My First Academic Book

Today we welcome a guest post from Emily J. H. Contois, author of Diners, Dudes, and Diets: How Gender and Power Collide in Food Media and Culture, out now from UNC Press. The phrase “dude food” likely brings to mind a range of images: burgers stacked impossibly high with an assortment of toppings that were themselves once considered a meal;… Continue Reading Emily Contois: How I Wrote My First Academic Book

Matthew Morse Booker: Who Should Be Responsible for Food Safety?

Today we welcome a guest post from Matthew Morse Booker, co-editor (with Charles C. Ludington) of Food Fights: How History Matters to Contemporary Food Debates, available now from UNC Press. What we eat, where it is from, and how it is produced are vital questions in today’s America. We think seriously about food because it is freighted with the hopes,… Continue Reading Matthew Morse Booker: Who Should Be Responsible for Food Safety?

Author Interview: Jean Anderson on Kiln to Kitchen

In this Q&A, UNC Press Publicity Director Gina Mahalek talks with Jean Anderson, James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame member and author of Kiln to Kitchen: Favorite Recipes from Beloved North Carolina Potters, about her lifelong passion for pottery, her earliest influences, and her gift for harmonizing text and design. Jean Anderson’s new cookbook deliciously brings together two of her… Continue Reading Author Interview: Jean Anderson on Kiln to Kitchen

Jennifer Brulé: My Time on Food Network’s #UltimateThanksgivingChallenge

Today, we welcome a guest post from Jennifer Brulé, chef and author of Learn to Cook 25 Southern Classics 3 Ways: Traditional, Contemporary, International, as well as The New Vegetarian South: 105 Inspired Dishes for Everyone. Earlier this month, we were pleased to cheer Jenny on as she competed on Season 2 of Food Network’s Ultimate Thanksgiving Challenge, in which… Continue Reading Jennifer Brulé: My Time on Food Network’s #UltimateThanksgivingChallenge

Author Interview: Daniel S. Pierce on Why North Carolina Needs a Moonshine Hall of Fame (and Shame)

Today we’re pleased to share Part Two of our Q&A with Daniel S. Pierce, author of Tar Heel Lightnin’: How Secret Stills and Fast Cars Made North Carolina the Moonshine Capital of the World. Check out Part One here. From the late nineteenth century well into the 1960s, North Carolina boasted some of the nation’s most restrictive laws on alcohol… Continue Reading Author Interview: Daniel S. Pierce on Why North Carolina Needs a Moonshine Hall of Fame (and Shame)

Author Interview: Daniel S. Pierce on Tar Heel Lightnin’: How Secret Stills and Fast Cars Made North Carolina the Moonshine Capital of the World

In this Q&A, Daniel S. Pierce, author of Tar Heel Lightnin’: How Secret Stills and Fast Cars Made North Carolina the Moonshine Capital of the World, sits down with director of publicity Gina Mahalek to discuss the business of moonshine in North Carolina. From the late nineteenth century well into the 1960s, North Carolina boasted some of the nation’s most restrictive… Continue Reading Author Interview: Daniel S. Pierce on Tar Heel Lightnin’: How Secret Stills and Fast Cars Made North Carolina the Moonshine Capital of the World

Excerpt: Sean Brock’s Foreword to The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery, Revised Edition

UNC Press is proud to be releasing this month the new Revised Edition of The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery, edited by T.J. Smith—and with a brand new foreword by Chef Sean Brock. Always a tremendous resource for all interested in the region’s culinary culture, the book is being reimagined warmly with today’s heightened interest in cultural-specific cooking and food-lovers… Continue Reading Excerpt: Sean Brock’s Foreword to The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery, Revised Edition

Countdown to Memorial Day — A roundup of summer recipes from the Savor the South® cookbooks

Happy Memorial Day! As we begin preparations for the summer’s first big blowout weekend, here’s a run-down of great summer recipe posts from the authors of UNC Press’s Savor the South® cookbooks. We hope you’ll find a recipe or two that you can add to your backyard, patio or poolside feasting this weekend. Each little cookbook in our Savor the… Continue Reading Countdown to Memorial Day — A roundup of summer recipes from the Savor the South® cookbooks

Meet Bruce Moffett: author of Bruce Moffett Cooks (video)

UNC Press is proud to be publishing chef Bruce Moffett’s new book, Bruce Moffett Cooks:  A New England Chef in a New South Kitchen.  Publishing today, the book is available in both print and ebook editions. A native New Englander, chef Bruce Moffett fell in love with the South. Founding chef of three Charlotte restaurants—Barrington’s, Good Food on Montford, and… Continue Reading Meet Bruce Moffett: author of Bruce Moffett Cooks (video)

Gina Mahalek: What Karen Barker, “Greatest Pastry Chef,” Taught Me About Dessert

Every time I eat a truly great dessert, I think of Karen Barker. In addition to being a James Beard Award Winner for Outstanding Pastry Chef, Karen was also a great teacher—as I learned when working with her on publicizing and taking a deep, sweet dive into her masterful 2004 cookbook from UNC Press, Sweet Stuff: Karen Barker’s American Desserts.… Continue Reading Gina Mahalek: What Karen Barker, “Greatest Pastry Chef,” Taught Me About Dessert

Interview with Keith Allen, owner of Allen & Son Barbecue Restaurant in Chapel Hill, on the occasion of its closing

This past month, the renowned Chapel Hill restaurant, Allen & Son Barbecue, quietly closed its doors for the final time.  It’s owner, Keith Allen, was interviewed in depth by John Shelton Reed, Dale Volberg Reed and William McKinney, in their book, Holy Smoke:  The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue. For those of us who will forever miss this landmark… Continue Reading Interview with Keith Allen, owner of Allen & Son Barbecue Restaurant in Chapel Hill, on the occasion of its closing

Holiday Recipe: Country Ham Cheesecake from Southern Snacks by Perre Coleman Magness

Perre Coleman Magness is the author of Southern Snacks:  77 Recipes for Small Bites with Big Flavors, published this fall by UNC Press. You can follow her on Twitter. Here she shares a favorite recipe for your holiday get-together.  Southern Snacks is available now in both print and ebook editions. (And, during our Holiday Gift Books Sale, you can get… Continue Reading Holiday Recipe: Country Ham Cheesecake from Southern Snacks by Perre Coleman Magness