the taste of country cooking by edna lewis

However, she was skilled at sewing and was able to find another job as a seamstress. She was hired to iron clothes, but she had never ironed before and was fired after three hours. but quickly relocated to New York City and began working as a laundress. As Lewis learned to cook, she treasured the joy and community that was created around food and the many memories that were made.Īfter her father died, Lewis moved away from home at the age of sixteen. For example, without access to measuring spoons, baking powder was measured on coins to ensure the right amount was used in each dish. However, Lewis inherited the creativity and resourcefulness that was central to African American food preparation. Growing up in the early 20 th century, modern cooking appliances were not accessible to her.

Lewis’ grandfather was granted a farm in Freetown where Edna participated in the production of food from an early age. The Lewis family was certainly no exception. Growing, foraging and harvesting their own food, most of the members of Freetown cultivated their own cooking ingredients. One of eight children, she lived with her family in a small community of emancipated slaves that her grandfather helped to create. Combining her love of food preparation and her deep knowledge of African American history, Lewis’ legacy taught countless others the importance of traditional southern cuisine.Įdna Lewis was born in 1916 in Freetown, Orange County, Virginia. Known as both the Grande Dame and Grande Doyenne of southern cooking, Lewis was among the first African American women from the south to write a cookbook that did not hide the author’s true name, gender or race. As an admired chef and cookbook author, Edna Lewis taught the American public to appreciate southern meals in a new way.

The taste of country cooking by edna lewis