Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking: A Cookbook

This is one of the cookbooks that will not go down in history for its fabulous recipes, but for the historical background provided on the topic, the multitude of references given to other authors/cookbooks that will allow you to delve deeper into the roots of african-american cooking and the history of recipes. I have notes for quite a few other cookbooks now to find and explore. I read this cookbook cover to cover. The author is a good writer with ease at story telling mixed with lots of facts and historical notes. The book is accessible, the photos well composed. Not seeing any really exciting and new recipes here, however, the recipes in the book come together well, and they are not difficult to follow. If you are looking for an in depth collection of Southern, Soul or African American recipes, this would not be my first choice of cookbook. But if you want to learn something about how these recipes came about, the people who cooked them, and the history of black cooks and cooking, this is a valuable and well researched read. I would like to have a picture reference either with the recipe or with the picture. It is a bit of guess work which recipe is actually shown. Well worth the cost for the content.

This is hands down the best cookbook I've ever purchased. I bought one for my brother at Christmas but desperately wanted one for myself. My brother kept giving rave review of the recipes he was making, so I finally bought the book in May and have been cooking my way through it ever since. I highly recommended the book to my Dad who immediately purchased it and has also been cooking/baking recipe after recipe. We ALL love it so much. I even gifted the book in June to my aunt--thinking she may want to add some new creations to her time at home due to the pandemic. The history in the book is as wonderful to read as the recipes are to make. I cannot recommend this book enough. So far, some of my very favorites are the Caramel Cake with Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting, the Louisiana Barbecued Shrimp, the Molasses-Spice Cookies (made with Every-Kind-of-Cookie Dough), the Braised Summer Squash with Onions, the Island Banana Bread, theCatfish Etouffe, and the Biscuit-Topped Chicken Pot Pie. The next three recipes I plan to make are the Caribbean Roast Pork, the Bread Pudding, and the Salmon Croquettes. I truly am enjoying everything about this well-written cookbook, filled with reliably delicious and mostly easy-to-prepare recipes.

Love this cookbook!

This cookbook is one of the best cookbooks I have ever purchased! So many wonderful and tasty recipes! The stories are what put it over the top! A definite recommend if you are looking for a cookbook with southern dishes!

I bought the kindle edition and this book has such a wealth of amazing recipes that I am hoping to soon purchase the hard copy edition. I am enjoying this book as both a history book and as a cook book. Just made the corn stock recipe the other day and it was a great Flavorful base for my cheese grits, that I also made the other day. The other reason I am giving the book 4 instead of 5 stars is because the kindle edition is a bit hard to navigate because it is such a large cookbook. So that’s more of a me problem than a criticism of the cookbook.

I will admit that I love a cookbook that also tells a story. This book does not disappoint. It is a beautifully made, wonderfully photographed, and well-written book with delicious recipes. We made a seafood gumbo (see the veggies in roux photo), the Savannah pickled shrimp (also pictured), and plan to make an orange biscuit recipe next weekend. The food was amazing and the ingredients were accessible. I loved reading about African American cuisine and history and even loved that the author included old versions passed down in their simple format (much like your grandmother would write down all those years ago). This was my first experience with the author and I will be seeking out more of her work and our family will be enjoying many of her recipes!

Although I live in the far North, I was aware of Ms. Tipton-Martin's reputation as a scholar of African-American culinary history, and was happy to pay full price for this volume. I did not expect to be stunned, on nearly every page, by the author's extensive research, for which she drew in large part on her collection of more than 400 Black cookbooks dating back to 1827. I felt privileged to learn of the rich and fascinating history of not only the cuisine, but every recipe. This is my kind of cookbook: from the extensive chapter introductions and headnotes, I learned something on every page. As a Caucasian, so much of the culinary history and its backstories were, I am sorry to say, new to me. Moreover, I stuck a quite respectable number of Post-It's on the book's pages, and I look forward to honoring these traditions by making many dishes from the book. Only a few of the ingredients are not accessible to me, living as I do in the middle of nowhere; and so, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I can find the vast majority easily. The author occasionally suggests substitutions and brand names: two things that are always appreciated! Finally, almost every recipe has a gorgeous color photo, the exceptions being simple sauces and dressings.

Every recipe is a hit!!! I love this cookbook!!! I’ve purchased it 3+ times and gifted it to my family & close friends.

Purchased as a gift. Recipient very pleased with the choice and is enjoying her cooking experience.

Everything was super, fast shipping, well packed book in good condition.

This book is an absolute keeper. Not just for the recipes that have been carefully reasearched and curated but also for the history lessons and the people it talks about.

Delicious recipes which really tell a story and a history. Highly recommend and give a wonderful insight into this rich cultural food history.

Love the layout and pictures. Recipes are soo great.