Charleston to Phnom Penh

Charleston to Phnom Penh

A Cook's Journal

  • Author: Taylor, John Martin; Harris, Jessica B.
  • Publisher: University of South Carolina Press
  • ISBN: 9781643363509
  • eISBN Pdf: 9781643363516
  • Place of publication:  South Carolina , United States
  • Year of publication: 2022
  • Year of digital publication: 2022
  • Month: November
  • Pages: 242
  • DDC: 641.59
  • Language: English

A journey through the lands of boiled peanuts, pesto, and pickled peppercorns—with thirty recipes

Foodies, travel enthusiasts, culinary historians, fans of fine writing, and cookbook collectors will feast on John Martin Taylor's Charleston to Phnom Penh. A unique vision of a joyous and peripatetic life, these essays take readers on a journey across three continents, from the South Carolina Lowcountry of Taylor's upbringing to the Caribbean, Italy, France, Eastern Europe, and Asia.

Taylor recalls his mother's before-her-time culinary experiments; probes historical archives to research the origins of classic dishes; and remembers adventures sailing, dancing, and fishing, as well as cooking. His gaze is social, etymological, personal, comic, and historical, and all foods are considered fair game for scrutiny. Taylor tells us how to bake with olive oil, why he doesn't make wedding cakes, what to do in Transylvania, and how he came to be a voice of the Lowcountry. Make a margarita and delve into his deconstruction of hoppin' john, his erstwhile namesake; the history of cheese straws; and how to make callaloo and fish amok.

  • Cover
  • Charleston to Phnom Penh
  • Title
  • Copyright
  • Dedication
  • Contents
  • Foreword
  • Introduction
  • The So-Called Huguenot Torte of Charleston
  • Ats Jaar Pickles
  • Grandma and Grapes
  • Boiled Peanuts and a Sense of Place
  • Purdue
  • Pesto
  • Old-Fashioned Sweet Potato Pie
  • Peaches Aswim in Rose Petals
  • Shrimp and Grits
  • Cheese Straws
  • Mikel’s Mother’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • French Fries
  • Minestrone
  • Why I Don’t Make Wedding Cakes
  • Watermelon
  • Deconstructing My Namesake
  • Oysters Mournful
  • Grandma’s Sugar Cookies
  • Mrs. Fisher’s Cigarettes
  • Tough Cuts, Long Stewed
  • Transylvania
  • A Lowcountry Calendar
  • Belltowerism and Other Musings on Life in the Provinces
  • Fresh Chinese Water Chestnuts
  • Cooking Nok Style on Ko Lanta
  • Baking with Olive Oil
  • Black Walnuts
  • On Pepper
  • Time for a Drink!
  • Pasta alla Checca
  • Anchovies and Pasta
  • Mostarda
  • Rockfish and Callaloo
  • Galletto alla Piastra
  • Coconuts and Fish Amok
  • On Cast Iron, Lard, and Frying
  • Mama’s Cornbread
  • Daddy and Paella
  • Dance Lessons
  • Fennel
  • Fishing
  • Body Count
  • Acknowledgments
  • Index

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

By subscribing, you accept our Privacy Policy