Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime and start saving today with fast, free delivery

Kindle
$8.99

Available instantly

Hardcover
$24.38

Paperback
$35.78

$24.38 with 39 percent savings

List Price: $40.00

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns

FREE delivery March 27 - 31 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35

Or fastest delivery March 25 - 28

$$24.38 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Returns

30-day refund/replacement

Payment

Secure transaction

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

$23.16

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns

This item is in good condition. This item MAY HAVE SOME writing/ underlining in the text. This item ships directly from Amazon. This item is in good condition. This item MAY HAVE SOME writing/ underlining in the text. This item ships directly from Amazon. See less

FREE delivery April 3 - 13 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35

Or fastest delivery April 2 - 9

$$24.38 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Enhancements you chose aren't available for this seller. Details

${cardName} not available for the seller you chose

${cardName} unavailable for quantities greater than ${maxQuantity}.

Sold by Matthews Books & More and Fulfilled by Amazon.

Other sellers on Amazon

New & Used (30) from $16.72 + $3.99 shipping

Watch Before Buying This In Pursuit of Flavor CookbookSwizzle Finds

Image Unavailable

Image not available for
Color:

To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the authors

In Pursuit of Flavor: The Beloved Classic Cookbook from the Acclaimed Author of The Taste of Country Cooking Hardcover – Illustrated, March 26, 2019

by Edna Lewis (Author), Mashama Bailey (Foreword)

4.7 828 ratings

See all formats and editions

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$24.38","priceAmount":24.38,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"24","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"38","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"R239XaOAgQTPG62CznVYAbaXmIdOlH7lZ5KO5lEeYywE0icEoJHlD%2F5GTqV4O2LwZLUkQfYgmrIJp%2B56rNvvKjFHhrxWpO4zAzCn8PAqh9fY52HXqqJ%2F8GRExYrHu%2FfaCib3ZW8N19VHMyqDT4sXgA%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$23.16","priceAmount":23.16,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"23","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"16","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"R239XaOAgQTPG62CznVYAbaXmIdOlH7lEA4EdlAVCSxjy91DYmP87KGlFzvh4wbd1njY5owh1G2CkLDR0GU1nQSXp53SBc3Y9Uln7bwUgnTRw8mDHa5ua4EyiDILOWBlZJ3nCrZW9E%2B09Wv9opIQ0scvSXk2KbxL3HphdU2HFFFm%2FGscY3JETUUXr4QD%2BRO1","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

The classic cookbook from “the first lady of Southern cooking” (NPR), featuring a new foreword by the James Beard Award–winning chefMashama Bailey

Decades before cornbread, shrimp and grits, and peach cobbler were mainstays on menus everywhere, Edna Lewis was pioneering the celebration of seasonal food as a distinctly American cuisine.

In this James Beard Foundation Cookbook Hall of Fame-inducted cookbook, Miss Lewis (as she was almost universally known) shares the recipes of her childhood, spent in a Virginia farming community founded by her grandfather and his friends after emancipation, as well as those that made her one of the most revered American chefs of all time. Interspersed throughout are personal anecdotes, cooking insights, notes on important Southern ingredients, and personally developed techniques for maximizing flavor.

Across six charmingly illustrated chapters—From the Gardens and Orchards; From the Farmyard; From the Lakes, Steams, and Oceans; For the Cupboard; From the Bread Oven and Griddle; and The Taste of Old-fashioned Desserts—encompassing almost 200 recipes, Miss Lewis captures the spirit of the South. From Whipped Cornmeal with Okra; Pan-Braised Spareribs; and Benne Seed Biscuits to Thirteen-Bean Soup; Pumpkin with Sautéed Onions and Herbs; a Salad of Whole Tomatoes Garnished with Green Beans and Scallions; and Raspberry Pie Garnished with Whipped Cream, In Pursuit of Flavor is a modern classic and a timeless compendium of Southern cooking at its very best.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Lewis’s food is both subtle and elegant, made with the confidence and grace that arose from over a half-century in the kitchen. . . . Even 30 years later, Edna Lewis . . . teaches us that ‘good food simply and lovingly prepared’ will never go out of style, while reminding us that the passionate pursuit of flavor can make for one hell of a life.” —The New York Times Book Review

“In Pursuit of Flavor was my introduction to Ms. Lewis and the first African American cookbook I ever owned. It continues to fire a passion for ingredients and the joy of the journey of putting together a meal like no other work. This is culinary elegance to dance by.” —Michael W. Twitty, author of The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South

"As a young child obsessed with cookbooks, reading Miss Edna Lewis's work felt like finding my way home for the first time. As an adult who makes cookbooks, her work continues to be my north star. Her voice, her life, her beautiful and appealing recipes, and her legacy are right there in her books and it's so exciting to see the renewed energy around In Pursuit of Flavor. If you're new to Miss Lewis, get ready to meet an icon." —Julia Turshen, author of Now & Again, Feed the Resistance, and Small Victories, and founder of Equity at The Table

"Timeless . . . [this] beautiful new edition includes charming illustrations and a foreword by Savannah chef Mashama Bailey, who helms The Grey." —Southern Living

“This is a quiet book. A gentle book. A book that belongs on your kitchen shelf. From whipped cornmeal with okra, to red rice that recalls a Jolof dish, to rabbit fried in butter perfumed with country ham, this revived classic reminds us of Edna Lewis’s genius.” —John T. Edge, author The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South

“With In Pursuit of Flavor, Miss Lewis showcases her expertise and techniques by taking us on a journey through her childhood. She brings to life the entire farmland as it was seen by someone who lived off the land. She picks fruits and vegetables and shows us how to prepare them for the cupboard. She shows us how to preserve the bounty of the season for later. She takes us to the river and creeks to teach us about the local catches.” —Mashama Bailey (from the Foreword)

"I have seen no better representation of open-mindedness and the all-embracing impulse than in Edna Lewis’s cookbook In Pursuit of Flavor. . . . [Lewis] is renowned (sainted, even, and deservedly so) as the cornerstone of African-American cooking and Southern foodways. For her role in that there are no plaudits too great. She is the sine qua non.” —Max Watman, The Daily Beast

“The clean, seasonal, rustic, and thoroughly nostalgic tone of this book, even soaked in corn pudding and brisket gravy, is a distillation of Southern cooking at its best.” —Jonathan Gold, LA Weekly

“If you want to understand American food, you must first take the full measure of Southern cooking. And in order to do that, you have to spend time with Miss Lewis, one of the few cooks who belongs to the pantheon of American culture. Like Aretha Franklin singing gospel, Miss Lewis was both the inheritor of a great tradition and its most talented practitioner. Her books are national treasures, and In Pursuit of Flavor is the overlooked gem in the treasury.” —Kevin West, author of Saving the Season

"[Lewis] knew every trick in the book (because she wrote it): Season she-crab soup with roe. Punch up cheese straws with extra-sharp cheddar and cayenne. Balance a salad with both bitter and sweet greens." —Garden & Gun

About the Author

Edna Lewis was born in 1916 in Freetown, Virginia, a farming community founded after the Civil War by freed slaves (among them her grandfather) and for many years lived and cooked in New York City. She was the recipient of numerous awards, including the inaugural James Beard Living Legend and Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA) Lifetime Achievement Awards, the Grande Dame des Dames d’Escoffier International, and the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Lifetime Achievement Award. Her books were inducted into the James Beard Foundation Cookbook Hall of Fame, and she was commemorated with a United States Postal Service postage stamp. Miss Lewis was also the author of The Edna Lewis Cookbook, The Taste of Country Cooking, and, with Scott Peacock, The Gift of Southern Cooking. She died in February 2006.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Potatoes Baked with Virginia Ham
SERVES 4
Potatoes are one of the few vegetables that are good in all seasons—although in the summer when they are freshly dug from the garden, they taste especially delicious. Besides the familiar varieties such as Idaho, russet, and cobbler, there are new kinds of potatoes in the markets. Most have similar flavor and some, such as small explorer potatoes, can be added whole and unpeeled to soups and stews. Recently I found a yellow potato at New York’s Greenmarket that had a slightly different texture and a heartier flavor than most white potatoes. I have also tried blue-skinned potatoes, which look pretty and taste just about the same as any other potato. Use any white potato for this recipe, which makes a good supper dish.

½ clove garlic
2 tablespoons melted butter
5 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
2 cups julienned Virginia ham
2 cups heavy cream
½ cup bread crumbs

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Crush the garlic and stir it with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Rub an 8-inch square pan, 2 inches deep, with the butter. Layer the potatoes in the pan and season them lightly with salt, pepper, and some chopped parsley. Next, sprinkle a handful of ham over the potatoes. Repeat the layering until the pan is full and the top layer is potatoes. Add the cream, which should be nearly level with the top layer of potatoes.
3. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Toss the bread crumbs with the other tablespoon of melted butter. Take the pan from the oven and distribute the bread crumbs evenly over the potatoes. Continue baking, uncovered, for 5 to 10 minutes, until the bread crumbs are browned.

Black-eyed Peas in Tomato and Onion Sauce
SERVES 4
A few years ago I decided to try cooking black-eyed peas this way instead of with a piece of pork, as everyone else does. I think the tomatoes and onions, garlic and parsley and olive oil give the peas a real interesting flavor—which, after all, they need. Black-eyed peas are a little dull, as are all dried beans.

1 cup black-eyed peas
4 cups cold water
½ cup high-quality light olive oil
One medium onion (about 6 ounces), chopped
½ teaspoon crushed garlic
1¾ cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

1. To prepare, pick over the peas, removing the discolored ones or stones that are often found. Wash in cold water and then place in a large pot with the water. (The peas will expand and cook more uniformly if they are not crowded in the pot.) Cook over medium-high heat for 30 minutes, then test the peas. If they are tender but still firm and have no raw taste, drain them and immediately run cold water over to stop the cooking and keep them from falling apart. Drain and set aside until needed. (If they are not quite ready, cook them for another 10 minutes and test them again. Depending on how dried out they are, black-eyed peas cook at different rates. Do not overcook them—they will cook a bit more once they are in the sauce. They should be served whole in the sauce and not mushy.)
2. Heat a 9-inch skillet until hot, then add the olive oil. Add the onion, sauté a minute, then add the garlic and the prepared tomatoes, and cook the mixture slowly for 30 minutes. Stir often during cooking. Add the black-eyed peas, mix well, and season with salt and pepper—the peas should be well seasoned. Cook gently for 10 minutes more, then add the parsley. Spoon the beans into a casserole and set in a warm place until ready to serve. The dish can be reheated in the oven. Serve hot but not overcooked.

Panfried Quail with Country Ham
SERVES 4
Quail are delightful little birds that you never have to worry about being tough. If you buy them fresh, let them age for a day or two to tenderize them. Quail are getting easier and easier to find in supermarkets and local butcher shops, and although many are sold frozen and are quite good, they are best fresh. You can also buy them from game bird farms that raise them for home buyers and restaurants. As with pheasant, I usually ask the butcher or game bird farmer to leave the feathers on the bird and the innards intact because this improves their flavor as they age. But most cooks would probably want to have the birds plucked and cleaned, which certainly is easier and does not make such a difference in flavor that I would advise against it.

I sauté quail on top of the stove in a covered pan to keep them moist, but they also do well roasted, if covered. Quail are good to make for guests because they “hold” in the pan for 15 or 20 minutes without drying out, which gives you time to get the rest of the meal organized. For this dish I call for fresh white grape juice, which adds good tart flavor. Fresh grape juice is simple to make if you have a vegetable mill or potato ricer, but do not try to make it in a blender. The blender does not extract the juice, it just purées the fruit.

1 cup white grapes (to make ¼–⅓ cup grape juice)
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
8 quail, split and flattened
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
½ pound Virginia ham, cut into 2 by ¼-inch matchsticks

1. First, make the fresh white grape juice. Crush the cup of grapes with a pestle, then put through a sieve or vegetable mill to extract the juice, or use a potato ricer.
2. Combine the salt, pepper, and thyme, crushing the thyme with your fingertips. Sprinkle both sides of the birds with the seasonings.
3. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat until it foams and just begins to brown. Add the quail, skin side down. Sprinkle with ham, cover, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the skin is golden brown. Turn the birds and continue cooking, covered, until the juices run clear, about 4 minutes longer. Take the pan from the heat and let the quail rest, covered, for about 10 minutes. Arrange the quail on a platter and sprinkle the ham from the pan over them.
4. Pour the fat from the pan. Add the grape juice (you can also use water, if you prefer), and bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute, scraping the browned bits from the bottom to deglaze the pan. Pour over the quail and serve.

Red Snapper with Olive Mayonnaise
SERVES 4
Red snapper is one of my favorite fish, but I find it tastes different depending on where it is caught. The snapper from the Gulf of Mexico does not have exactly the same flavor as the snapper caught off the Carolina coast and while both are good, I prefer the Gulf fish. The flesh of Gulf snapper is a little darker. Both are meaty, tasty fish that lose their bright red color during cooking. I like to cook them quickly after they have marinated in lemon juice for about an hour. I think the fast cooking in a hot skillet really brings out the good flavor of snapper. Black olive purée is sold in jars in Italian markets and specialty stores, but if you can’t find it you can make your own by puréeing pitted Mediterranean black olives.

2 pounds red snapper, bones removed and split in half
Juice of ½ to 1 lemon
6 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon chopped garlic
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons puréed Mediterranean olives

1. Put the snapper in a glass or ceramic dish cut side up, and squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the fish. You may need to use a whole lemon, depending on the size of the fish and the lemon. Leave the fish to marinate at room temperature for 1 hour, spooning lemon juice over it now and again.
2. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
3. Heat the butter in a heavy ovenproof skillet until foaming. Add the garlic before the butter browns. When the butter begins to brown, put the fish in the pan, cut side down. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes over high heat, until nicely browned. Turn the fish over and put the entire pan in the hot oven. Cook for about 8 minutes, until flaky but not overcooked. Combine the mayonnaise with the puréed olives and additional lemon juice to taste. Serve this with the hot fish.

Benne Seed Biscuits
Benne seeds, which are also known as sesame seeds, were brought to America long ago with the Africans. Their name derives from the Benue State of Nigeria. The Nigerian name for this seed is beni. Slaves planted them at the ends of crop rows and around their small cabins and used them in much of their cooking. They are still extremely popular in the South and turn up in recipes for cereals, breads, cookies, and biscuits. I think their flavor is best when they are toasted, and short of burning them, the longer you toast them, the better they are. These crisp little biscuits go well with cocktails, pâtés, and soups, or anytime you would want a cracker.

1 cup benne seeds
3 cups flour
1½ teaspoons single-acting baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
⅔ cup lard
⅔ cup milk
Salt

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Put the benne seeds in a shallow pan in the preheated oven. Look at them after 5 minutes to check on the color—they should be the color of butterscotch and they should have a delicious toasted smell. If not ready, shake the pan and return them to the oven for 1 to 2 minutes—but watch carefully.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add the lard and work the mixture with a pastry blender or your fingertips until it has the texture of cornmeal. Add the milk and mix well. Mix in the benne seeds. Place the dough on a floured surface, knead for a few seconds, and shape into a ball. Roll the dough out until it is about the thickness of a nickel. Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter, stamp out rounds and lay them on an ungreased baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with a little bit of salt, and serve hot. You may store the cooled biscuits in an airtight tin or jar and reheat them before serving.

Raspberry Pie Garnished with Whipped Cream
For this pie, you need 3 pints of raspberries, because raspberries cook down so much. The juice from the berries is used as a glaze and the whole thing is pretty and sweet and really delicious, especially when served with whipped cream. I specify organic raspberries simply because I think they taste better.

When I make the buttery crust that I think tastes best with light-tasting fruits and berries, I do something that might be too fussy for most cooks. You don’t have to do it, but it makes a nice crust. I chop up the butter, put it in the freezer, and let it get really frozen. I then take 1 cup of flour and cut in the frozen butter, mixing it in well—you have to work really fast before the butter softens too much. When this mixture is fine enough, similar to cornmeal, I add the rest of the flour and proceed with the recipe. The crust is nice and light and good with berry and lemon meringue pies.

BUTTER PIE PASTRY
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Scant teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) firmly chilled or frozen butter, cut into small pieces
¼ cup ice water

PIE FILLING
3 pints raspberries, organic if possible
½ cup sugar
About 1 cup sweetened whipped cream

9-inch pie plate

1. To make the pie pastry: Put the flour, salt, and butter in a mixing bowl. Blend well with a pastry blender or the tips of your fingers, until the mixture is the texture of cornmeal. Add the ice water, mix quickly, and shape the dough into a ball. Dust the dough lightly with flour and shape into a flat cake. Wrap in wax paper and put in the refrigerator to rest for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
3. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide it into 2 unequal pieces. Roll the larger piece out and press it into a 9-inch pie dish; trim the edges. Roll out the second piece of dough into a 7-inch circle and trim the edges in a zigzag design. Stamp out a 2-inch circle from the center of the top crust, using a round cookie cutter. Put the top crust in a pie plate and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Lift the crust from the pie plate and cool on a wire rack.
4. Before baking the bottom shell, prick the surface without piercing all the way through to the pie plate. This will prevent the pastry from puffing up. Check the pastry after 10 minutes of baking. Prick any puffed‑up places and continue to cook until lightly browned. Cool before filling.
5. To make the filling: Pick the raspberries over, looking for any moldy ones or stems. Do not wash the berries or they will become soggy. Put the berries in a wide ovenproof dish in a single layer. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the sugar over them and set them in a preheated 375°F. oven for 12 to 13 minutes. This should be time enough for the berries to bleed and give out the right amount of juice.
6. Remove the berries from the oven and cool. Then lift each berry onto another dish and scrape the juice from the ovenproof dish into a stainless steel saucepan. Add the remaining sugar and set the pan over a medium burner. Cook for 12 to 13 minutes, until the juice is reduced to a thick syrup. Remove this from the stove and hold until you are ready to assemble the pie.
7. Brush the bottom of the cooled pie shell with some of the heavy syrup. Line the shell with a single layer of raspberries. Reserve 8 or 9 berries. Pile up the rest of the raspberries in the shell to make a thick pie. Spoon the syrup glaze over the berries, making sure to coat all of them. Position the pastry top over the berries. Fill in the stamped-out center with the reserved berries and spoon glaze over them. Serve sweetened whipped cream on the side.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Knopf; Illustrated edition (March 26, 2019)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0525655514
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0525655510
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.2 x 1.1 x 9.2 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #51,319 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #56 in Southern U.S. Cooking, Food & Wine
- #326 in Celebrity & TV Show Cookbooks
- #380 in U.S. State & Local History

Customer Reviews:
4.7 828 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Upload your video

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Mary Goodbody
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.
Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.
See more on the author's page
Edna Lewis
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.
Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.
See more on the author's page

Customer reviews

828 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Review this product

Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the recipes delicious and honest. They appreciate the storytelling and history. The book is simple and approachable, with great visual quality and photos. Readers like the author's soft-spoken voice and comforting Southern cooking style.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

Recipes Storytelling Simplicity Visual quality Language

19 customers mention "Recipes"19 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the recipes in the book. They find the recipes delicious and appreciate the honest guide to regional cuisine with tips for flavoring. The book is arranged well and provides an inspiration for cooking, with stories introducing each recipe. Readers mention that the yams are delicious, old-fashioned food, and good eating.

"...She tells stories introducing each recipe that’ll give you an understanding of just why her particular ingredient choice was made, or she’ll tell..." Read more

"...She loves this book and the descriptions of the original recipes." Read more

"...It would be a wonderful addition to ANY recipe collection! The recipes are simple yet flavourful as Southern cooks are known for AND no she does not..." Read more

"...The photos are exactly what you want to see. The recipes are delicious. My copy has stains and wrinkled pages with notes in the margins...." Read more

5 customers mention "Storytelling"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the author's storytelling and history. They find the book a charming piece of Southern history.

"The stories and the history! Great cookbook. This woman is an icon!" Read more

"...A lot of history she shares and tips for flavoring." Read more

"Love it great recipes and stories!" Read more

"Charming piece of southern history......" Read more

4 customers mention "Simplicity"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the simplicity of the recipes. They find them approachable and timeless.

"...Her recipes are equal measure of simplicity and perfection...." Read more

"The recipes in this book are much more approachable than in the Taste of Country Cooking...." Read more

"Great simple and entertaining." Read more

"Very simple" Read more

4 customers mention "Visual quality"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's visual quality. They find it visually appealing, nicely illustrated, and printed on high-quality paper. The photos are clear and helpful, and the recipes are tasty.

"...This updated recipe book is a wonderful size, lovingly illustrated, printed on very nice paper...." Read more

"Christmas gifts. Four new sister-in-laws! No feed back yet. It looked great." Read more

"...The photos are exactly what you want to see. The recipes are delicious. My copy has stains and wrinkled pages with notes in the margins...." Read more

"Initially the book looked great in its plastic sleeve...." Read more

3 customers mention "Language"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the author's soft-spoken voice and Southern cooking.

"...She has an immediately likeable voice. My thoughts and pics of the dishes we tried: 1) Sautéed Wild Mushrooms – p 44...." Read more

"...in California since 1972, I find myself returning to the comfort of Southern cooking." Read more

"...She just seem to be so soft spoken, kept herself up nicely every time I saw something that was with her (many interviews) on YouTube...." Read more

Reviews with images

See all photos

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.

Jennifer Guerrero
Timeless. Simplicity and perfection.
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2019
Verified Purchase

This is an iconic book of living off the land, or what’s called farm-to-table food. Her recipes are equal measure of simplicity and perfection. She tells stories introducing each recipe that’ll give you an understanding of just why her particular ingredient choice was made, or she’ll tell you about the possible substitutions or variations on the recipe. She has an immediately likeable voice.

My thoughts and pics of the dishes we tried:
1) Sautéed Wild Mushrooms – p 44. Quickly sautéed with garlic and then finished with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Wonderfully aromatic.
2) Cooked Greens – p 17. Four ingredients including salt and pepper. It’s neat how much flavor she’s able to get out of that.
3) Baked Sweet Potatoes with Lemon Flavoring – p 46. Okay, I bought what’s labeled as sweet potatoes at the store. What I’ve made are clearly lemony candied yams. She explains that the orange and purple flesh ones are yams and that true sweet potatoes have a cream color flesh. I’ll need a do-over after I visit the posh grocery store. The yams were delicious, by the way. The lemon makes them taste special and gives them a fresh brightness.

I’ll update this as I play in the book more!

Some others I have flagged to try: Fresh Garden Peas with Vidalia Onions – p 10 * Creamed Scallions – p 12 * Wilted Lettuce Salad – p 24 * Sautéed Bananas – p 57 * Cheese Custard – p 71 * Cheese Soufflé – p 72 * Roast Chicken – p 79 * Roast Peking Duck with Brandied Orange Sauce – p 103 * Beef Tenderloin with Béarnaise Sauce * Shrimp Sautéed with Butter, Garlic, and Parsley – p 150 * Coffee Cake – p 232 * Mincemeat Tarts with Brandy Butter – p 268 * Apple Brown Betty – p 275

Read more

Jennifer Guerrero

Timeless. Simplicity and perfection.

Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2019
This is an iconic book of living off the land, or what’s called farm-to-table food. Her recipes are equal measure of simplicity and perfection. She tells stories introducing each recipe that’ll give you an understanding of just why her particular ingredient choice was made, or she’ll tell you about the possible substitutions or variations on the recipe. She has an immediately likeable voice.

My thoughts and pics of the dishes we tried:
1) Sautéed Wild Mushrooms – p 44. Quickly sautéed with garlic and then finished with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Wonderfully aromatic.
2) Cooked Greens – p 17. Four ingredients including salt and pepper. It’s neat how much flavor she’s able to get out of that.
3) Baked Sweet Potatoes with Lemon Flavoring – p 46. Okay, I bought what’s labeled as sweet potatoes at the store. What I’ve made are clearly lemony candied yams. She explains that the orange and purple flesh ones are yams and that true sweet potatoes have a cream color flesh. I’ll need a do-over after I visit the posh grocery store. The yams were delicious, by the way. The lemon makes them taste special and gives them a fresh brightness.

I’ll update this as I play in the book more!

Some others I have flagged to try: Fresh Garden Peas with Vidalia Onions – p 10 * Creamed Scallions – p 12 * Wilted Lettuce Salad – p 24 * Sautéed Bananas – p 57 * Cheese Custard – p 71 * Cheese Soufflé – p 72 * Roast Chicken – p 79 * Roast Peking Duck with Brandied Orange Sauce – p 103 * Beef Tenderloin with Béarnaise Sauce * Shrimp Sautéed with Butter, Garlic, and Parsley – p 150 * Coffee Cake – p 232 * Mincemeat Tarts with Brandy Butter – p 268 * Apple Brown Betty – p 275

Images in this review

110 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report
John T Beeston III
Great recipes
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2024
Verified Purchase
Edna Lewis was a wonderful cook judging from these recipes. Wish I could have eaten at one of her tables!

Read more

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Report
K. Hemphill
Takes me back to my childhood
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2010
Verified Purchase
If you want the tastes of rural Virginia back in the day, read this book. I spent a lot of time growing up in the nearby area between Richmond and Williamsburg (both my parents were born in the land where George met Martha and before that Pocohantas met John Smith) and this book took me back. Not just to the food that my grandmother and great grandmother prepared, such as oyster stew, boiled blue crab, ham (Smithfield) biscuits, succotash, navy bean soup, fatback, hot water cornbread, spoon bread, black eyed peas with stewed tomatoes, kale and turnip greens (never collards) fried spots and croakers (local fish) and deserts such as lemon chest pie, pound cake (always with a POUND of butter), and toll house cookies, but back in time to the stories they told about how food used to be. Even as late as the 1980's, it was common to have what was called a "garden" of at least a 1/2 or whole acre with more acreage planted in corn for the "animals" - though as local traveling butchers became a dying breed (which had in turn replaced neighbors getting together to help slaughter), the "animals" were mostly chicken and geese rather than the pigs and steers of my childhood while tractors replaced horse/pony and plow. As I helped shell lima beans, ate sweet white corn raw right out of the garden, ate a just picked tomato like it was an apple, or just sat in the side yard drinking ice water or iced tea out of a mason jar, my grandparents told stories of salting fish in barrels, corning beef, and making wild blackberry syrup for biscuits back in the day. And well into the 1980's my grandparents still canned and pickled vegetables, made wine out of peaches, apples, local grapes and even potatoes (!)(and knew where to buy moonshine...). My grandfather hunted till he was almost 70 - mostly deer, wild turkeys, and using dogs - possum and racoons (boys hunted squirrel and rabbit) and of course EVERYTHING was shared by the hunters to be eaten (wasn't told that it was squirrel in that stew until AFTER I'd eaten it!). He didn't like to fish but his brother/brother in laws did and of course they shared their fish as he did his game. While I certainly don't romanticize those days (it was seriously hard work and "gardening" and taking care of the animals was done before and after a day's "paying" work and both my grandmother and grandfather had jobs) the flavors of the just out of the garden vegetables; the off the tree sour cherries (whatever the birds didn't get) apples, and black walnuts; free range poultry; hours old eggs; and preservative-free home canned goods will always be remembered and make me wish I could eat that way again. And, not taking food for granted - canning/smoking/pickling what couldn't be eaten fresh and "eating everything from a pig but its squeal" (down to pig tails and souse/"hog's" head cheese) is something that has stayed with me (in homage to my grandparents thrift, I make broth out of my whole roasted chicken carcasses and make what I call refrigerator pasta and refrigerator soup to use up old veggies and bits of cooked meat). As I finish writing this, I see my grandfather as the sun was starting to set finally relaxing on a summer day's end, sitting in his chair in the side yard, waving to everyone he knew as they passed by on the two-lane blacktop "main" road, drinking a big mouth Mickey (beer) or maybe if it had been a particularly hard day a high- ball, while my grandmother called out to us "chillun" as we chased fireflies at dusk, whether we wanted a ham sandwich before it was time to go to bed.

Read more

125 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report
Kay
Edna Lewis - ICON!
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2024
Verified Purchase
The recipes in this book are much more approachable than in the Taste of Country Cooking. Being originally from the South, living in California since 1972, I find myself returning to the comfort of Southern cooking.

Read more

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Report
Bernadette Davidson
Southern style cooking
Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2024
Verified Purchase
Bought for a friend who yearns for the food of the south. She loves this book and the descriptions of the original recipes.

Read more

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Report
david mcsloy
Came on time in good condition. Good book of receipes.
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2024
Verified Purchase
Came on time in good condition. Good book of receipres.

Read more

Helpful

Report
Ms. Shunda K
Great cookbook by THE DAME of southern food
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2021
Verified Purchase
This is a great cookbook by this author and I am very happy to have me a copy now. She just seem to be so soft spoken, kept herself up nicely every time I saw something that was with her (many interviews) on YouTube. I have 2 of her cookbooks now (because I’m a lover of all cookbooks and many cookbook authors but especially my African American cookbooks and their authors. Now owning Mrs Edna Lewis’ cookbooks I am very very thankful. Great cookbook by This Southern cooking Dame. Thank you Mrs Edna Lewis and may you continue to rest in love and heaven.

Read more

12 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report
EB
Flavour Found at Miss Edna's!
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2019
Verified Purchase
Miss Edna was such a precious gift to the Southern chef and to all the cooks of the US. She does things in quite a different way than most chefs, she is more attuned with nature. This updated recipe book is a wonderful size, lovingly illustrated, printed on very nice paper. It would be a wonderful addition to ANY recipe collection! The recipes are simple yet flavourful as Southern cooks are known for AND no she does not fry everything!
She was such a great teacher. It is like learning to cook at your grandmother's kitchen.

Read more

35 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report

Top reviews from other countries

Jared Purdy
What can I say about Edna Lewis?
Reviewed in Canada on March 7, 2022
Verified Purchase

Ms. Lewis was practically an institution in her own right before her passing a number of years ago. This book is a treasure trove, and a joy to read. My only regret is that I never got to meet her. I've already made a number of recipes from this book and there will no doubt be many more.

Read more
Report
John Seward
What a Great Read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 22, 2021
Verified Purchase
This was recommended and the great recipies and stories from the author are a treat.
Well wort adding to your culinary collection.

Read more
Report
Marva c Dempster
The Pursuit of Flavor, The Beloved Classic Cookbook
Reviewed in Canada on February 8, 2022
Verified Purchase
I love this cookbook, really nice recipes in it, read some things I did not know about certain vegetables. I like everything about this book, will be enjoying some more of the recipes. Thanks.

Read more
Report
Miss B
Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 10, 2014
Verified Purchase
Love this woman and her wholesome approach to food.

Read more
Report
Bettie Baer
A bit disappointing
Reviewed in Canada on August 3, 2020
Verified Purchase
The recipes are not the traditional Southern recipes I had hope for.

Read more
Report

See more reviews

Amazon Prime includes:

Follow the authors

In Pursuit of Flavor: The Beloved Classic Cookbook from the Acclaimed Author of The Taste of Country Cooking Hardcover – Illustrated, March 26, 2019

Purchase options and add-ons

Frequently bought together

Frequently purchased items with fast delivery

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Product details

Videos

Videos for this product

About the authors

Mary Goodbody

Edna Lewis

Customer reviews

Review this product

Customers say

Select to learn more

Images in this review

Reviews with images

Timeless. Simplicity and perfection.

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.

Timeless. Simplicity and perfection.

Images in this review

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars What can I say about Edna Lewis?

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Great Read.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Pursuit of Flavor, The Beloved Classic Cookbook

5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars

3.0 out of 5 stars A bit disappointing

What can I say about Edna Lewis?

What a Great Read.

The Pursuit of Flavor, The Beloved Classic Cookbook

Five Stars

A bit disappointing