By Jessica Webb, Smoky Mountain Times
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Brasstown – If you’ve ever been welcomed to a southern Appalachian dinner table or were lucky enough to grow up doing so regularly, you know good eatin’.
Two authors native to western North Carolina, Jim Casada and Tipper Pressley, have co-authored Celebrating Southern Appalachian Food: Recipes and Stories from Mountain Kitchens, which is full of more than 200 recipes presented with stories and photographs. Recently released by The History Press of Charleston, S.C., the 250-plus page book is a comprehensive presentation of recipes.
Pressley, of Brasstown, has taught cooking classes at John C. Campbell Folk School and written extensively on Appalachian culture, including food, on her daily blog, “Blind Pig & the Acorn,” as well as on her Celebrating Appalachia YouTube channel.
The two connected because of Pressley’s blog, which she started in 2008, and became close friends along with Jim’s brother, Don Casada. Jim had the vision for the publication, believing it was the natural next step for Pressley.
Given his experience in publishing, it became a partnership. The book includes a glossary of southern Appalachian food terms, a helpful tool for the uninitiated.
The first chapter is dedicated to corn, specifically cornmeal, followed by chapter 2 dedicated to breads beginning with the quintessential biscuit. Both Casada and Pressley knew corn was among the essential foods to include.
“I think immediately what comes to mind is our chapter 1 on corn; it played such a huge role in Appalachian households like mine that hold to the old ways,” Pressley said, adding she knew the book would also need recipes for biscuits and food harvested from the garden.
Casada and Pressley will be guest speakers at the Swain County Genealogical & Historical Society meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 1, at the Swain County Business Center. The book is available for purchase online at blindpigandtheacorn.com and jimcasadaoutdoors.com, as well as from Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, Target and Bookshop.org.