More Than Moonshine: Appalachian Recipes and Recollections

By Sidney Saylor Farr

Book Overview

Sidney Saylor Farr was a woman who knew Appalachia well. Born in Stoney Fork in southeastern Kentucky, she lived much of her life close to the mountains, among people whose roots are deep in the soil and who pass on to their children a love for the land, a strong sense of belonging and of place, and an equally strong connection with traditional foods. The women of Stoney Fork rarely had cash to spend, so they depended upon the free products of nature--their cookery used every nutritious, edible thing they could scour from the gardens and hillsides. With instructions for making moonshine whiskey, for fixing baked groundhog with sweet potatoes, for making turnip kraut, cracklin' bread, egg pie, apple stackcake, and other traditional dishes, More Than Moonshine is more than a cookbook. It evokes a rural way of life in the mid-twentieth century that centered on kitchens at home, the warmth from the wood-burning stove, the smell of coffee, and the family gathered around the table to eat, talk, and share each other's company.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0822953471
• ISBN13: 9780822953470
• Release Date: June 1983
• Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 0.81 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

We are often defined by what we eat....

Sidney Saylor Farr does an excellent job in recalling both the recipes and the culture behind an often overlooked section of our national heritage. Those that are interested in the Appalachian lifestyle or food's use as a tool for examining a culture will be fascinated by More Than Moonshine. Those interested in re-creating some of the home cooking that permeated the region also won't be disappointed. By following recipes such as these, citizens in one of the poorer regions of our country managed to survive - and indeed thrive - during some of our nation's leanest years. The practical skills presented in this book should also not be ignored.

Definately a Keeper!

Really fun recipes that you don't find elsewhere. Has all those wonderful recipes for the foods I grew up with in the South - but nobody used recipes then - so every attempt to recall those has been vague - until this book. It is a really beautiful insight to the Appalachian culture.

engaging writing and unique recipes

I stumbled upon this at the university library among other historical cookbooks. The recipes are appealing and so is the writing. It's a real gem and I'm glad it's still in print.