The Florida cookbook

Here is a delicious and generous sampling (more than 200 recipes) of the cooking of Florida, along with an entertaining excursion into the land where the story of American food began and where today one can find the most interesting culinary diversity in the U.S.A. Jeanne Voltz and Caroline Stuart take us through all six areas of Florida as they explore: The Northeast in search of An Oyster Roast, Florida Smoked Beans, and Peanut Butter Pie; The Panhandle for Shrimp. Stuffed Eggplant, Baked Cheese Grits, and Blackberry Dumplings; The Space Coast, Gold Coast, and the Keys for Florida Conch Salad, Broiled Yellowtail with Orange Butter, and Mango Tarte Tatin with Lime Custard Sauce; The Big Bend and the Sun Coast for Coastal Crab Boil, Ybor City Calabaza Salad, and Rum Spanish Flan with Caramelized Oranges; Central Florida for Smothered Rabbit, Greens with Corn Meal Dumplings, and Strawberry Cobbler; Florida's Great Lake for South. Florida Frog's Legs, Hoppin' John with Trimmings, and Fresh Banana Layer Cake; and many, many other delectable recipes. The authors tell tales of bygone times - from the early homesteads to the opulent hotels of the Gold Coast - and about ethnic food festivals that take place the year round. They note the changes in cooking styles as different waves of immigrants - Minorcans, Jews, Greeks, Cubans - all left their mark; and they relish the winds of change as home cooks. And young chefs today are assimilating new Caribbean and Far Eastern tastes that make the most of fresh tropical ingredients, the good local seafood, and the abundance of citrus and peppers. Anyone who loves good food will welcome the delights to be found in these enticing pages. And Floridians - newcomers, old-timers, and those just passing through - will discover a wealth of information about where and how to enjoy the riches of land and sea.

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Nonfiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.