Greensa Savor the South®cookbook


Greens–collard, turnip, mustard, and more–are a defining staple of southern food culture. Seemingly always a part of the southern plate, these cruciferous vegetables have been crucial in the nourishing of generations of southerners. Having already been celebrated in operatic terms–composer Price Walden’s “Leaves of Green” includes this lyrical note: “From age to age the South has hollered / The praises of the toothsome collard”–greens now get their leafy culinary due in Thomas Head’s Savor the South® cookbook.

Head provides a fascinating culinary and natural history of greens in the South, as well as an overview of the many varieties of edible greens that are popular in the region. Including practical information about cultivation, selection, and preparation, Head also shows how greens are embraced around the world for their taste and healthfulness. The fifty-three recipes run from classic southern “potlikker” styles to new southern and global favorites. From Basic Southern Greens to Turnip Green Tarts to Greens Punjabi-Style, cooks will find plenty of inspiration to go green.

Thomas Head, a native of Louisiana, lives in Washington, D.C. He is coeditor of The Happy Table of Eugene Walter: Southern Spirits in Food and Drink.

“Thomas Head’s clever cookbook is packed with innovative recipes and information about greens. Collard empanadas are new and original, and I look forward to trying the mustard green pesto. It’s nice to see the sadly neglected dandelion green included here, and I am glad to see a posole and a peanut stew making perfect sense as vehicles for greens. The addition of pickles and relishes is a nice touch. Cooks of all levels can tackle these clear and easy-to-follow recipes, from the basics to the new, with success!”
–Bill Smith, author of Crabs and Oysters: A Savor the South Cookbook

“An inspiration to cooks in the South and all around the country. As easy to read as to follow, the recipes are appealing and varied–the internationally inspired ones are particularly tempting. A welcome addition to the Savor the South collection.”
–Cynthia Graubart, coauthor of Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking

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