'At long last, we have a Florida cookbook that is really good! Jane Nickerson's Florida Cookbook is the work of a good cook who can write, a rare combination for some reason. Even better, Mrs. Nickerson is possessed of wit and culinary judgment--qualities often lacking in the works of so many other authors who have turned out books containing Florida recipes.

The food columist of the New York Times' Florida newspapers presents a feast of tested recipes typical of a state famed for its fine foods. From Pensacola to Key West, many styles of fare are savored - Deep South, Spanish & Caribbean, Jewish & Greek - reflecting the backgrounds of the pople who settled Florida & later migrants, all of whom have contributed to Florida's culinary traditions. Florida provides an abundance of ingredients for the cook: fruits, vegetable, fish & seafood, beef, sugar, eggs, honey, pecans & peanuts. The recipes here tap the appetizing abundance & mirror the heritages of the state's cooks.

This lively, handsomely illustrated, first-of-its-kind book celebrates the food of the American South in all its glorious variety—yesterday, today, at home, on the road, in history. It brings us the story of Southern cooking; a guide for more than 200 restaurants in eleven Southern states; a compilation of more than 150 time-honored Southern foods; a wonderfully useful annotated bibliography of more than 250 Southern cookbooks; and a collection of more than 200 opinionated, funny, nostalgic, or mouth-watering short selections (from George Washington Carver on sweet potatoes to Flannery O’Connor on collard greens). Here, in sum, is the flavor and feel of what it has meant for Southerners, over the generations, to gather at the table—in a book that’s for reading, for cooking, for eating (in or out), for referring to, for browsing in, and, above all, for enjoying.

This Florida Book Awards Gold Medal-winner in the Cooking category celebrates the Sunshine State’s culinary heritage—from turtle soup to boiled peanuts. Though starting in one-story shacks in the piney woods of the Panhandle, Cracker cooking in Florida has evolved with our tastes and times and is now just as home in high-rise apartments along the glistening waterways. When supplies were limited and the workday arduous, black coffee with leftover cornbread might serve as breakfast. Today’s bounty and life’s relative ease bring mornings with lattes and biscotti, biscuits and sausage gravy. What’s on the plate has changed, but our heritage infuses who we are. As we follow the path laid out by gastronomic pioneers, this culinary quest, guided by sixth-generation Cracker Joy Sheffield Harris, will whet your appetite with recipes and sumptuous reflections. Pull up a chair and dig in.

Florida cuisine: twelve thousand years in the making, discover the the state's unusual and distinctive food influences and dishes. From the very first prickly pears harvested by Paleo-Indians more than twelve thousand years ago to the Seminole tribe's staple dish of sofkee, Florida's culinary history is as diverse as its geography. Influences as diverse as French, Creole, Spanish, Cuban, Greek, Mexican, Caribbean, and more season Florida's eclectic flavors. Learn how Florida orange juice changed the look of the American breakfast table and discover the state's festival-worthy swamp cabbage. Through syllabubs, perloos, frog legs and Tupelo honey, author Joy Sheffield Harris serves up a delectable helping of five hundred years of Florida cuisine--all with a side of key lime pie, of course.

“Tells the tales of some of Florida’s most famous desserts, from Key lime pie to citrus candy to the famous feud cake at Captain Anderson’s Restaurant.” —Panama City News Herald Sweets and the Sunshine State are a match made in heaven. Centuries ago, native Floridians used honey to sweeten dishes, as well as prickly pears and other wild fruits and berries. Spanish explorers introduced citrus to the area, leading to a major industry. Florida pioneers planted sugar cane and sweet potatoes as basic crops. Cane grinding, taffy pulls and homemade ice cream socials were once beloved community events across the state. The state pie of Florida, the Key lime pie, has been an addition to family affairs and restaurant menus since its inception in the late 1800s. From strawberry festivals to Florida flan, author Joy Sheffield Harris uncovers the state’s unique sweets with a taste of sunshine.