Paul and Angela Knipple’s culinary tour of the contemporary American South celebrates the flourishing of global food traditions “down home.” Drawing on their firsthand interviews and reportage from Richmond to Mobile and enriched by a cornucopia of photographs and original recipes, the Knipples present engaging, poignant profiles of a host of first-generation immigrants from all over the world who are cooking their way through life as professional chefs, food entrepreneurs and restaurateurs, and home cooks.
Beginning the tour with an appreciation of the South’s foundational food traditions–including Native American, Creole, African American, and Cajun–the Knipples tell the fascinating stories of more than forty immigrants who now call the South home. Not only do their stories trace the continuing evolution of southern foodways, they also show how food is central to the immigrant experience. For these skillful, hardworking immigrants, food provides the means for both connecting with the American dream and maintaining cherished ethnic traditions. Try Father Vien’s Vietnamese-style pickled mustard greens, Don Felix’s pork ribs, Elizabeth Kizito’s Ugandan-style plantains in peanut sauce, or Uli Bennevitz’s creamy beer soup and taste the world without stepping north of the Mason-Dixon line.
Reviews
“A must-read for those interested in contemporary Southern food culture–what it was, what it is, and what it will be.”
–Oxford American
“Part cookbook and part culinary road trip . . . . This is the South in all its diversity.”
–Garden & Gun
“This book is a must for every Southern foodie’s kitchen.”
–Flavors
“An important document of this moment in the South’s culinary development, but also the compelling stories of the immigrants themselves as they gradually become part of the fabric of the region.”
–Nashville Scene
“If America is still a melting pot, the southern part of the country must be cooking gumbo in that pot. With The World in a Skillet, Paul and Angela Knipple provide a fascinating account of the hands that are helping to stir the cauldron.”
–Food Republic
“This book is important in its tour of the New American South. . . . With a wealth of story, culture and (yes!) fifty new recipes, this is a cornucopia of culinary wishes.”
–Sacramento Book Review
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