Our Texas Heritage: Ethnic Traditions and Recipes

by Dorothy McConachie

Book Overview

A patch work quilt of thirteen unique ethnic groups who poured their soups and stews into the Amercian melting pot- we read about cultures and food that have made Texas such a versatile state.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 155622785X
• ISBN13: 9781556227851
• Release Date: June 2000
• Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing
• Length: 250 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.5" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A wonderfully presented regional 200 year culinary history.

Our Texas Heritage: Ethnic Traditions And Recipes is a truly wonderful compendium and survey of the history of Texas food culture that is the result of the combined influences and culinary legacies of thirteen unique ethnic groups ranging from early Texas settlers down to the present day. From Grandma Techa's Menudo, Dark Irish Soda Bread, and German Potato Salad, to Ukrainian Pickled Mushrooms, Kneydlakh (Matzo Balls), Kransekage (Traditional Danish Wedding Cake), and Italian Baked Eggplant, Our Texas Heritage is an outstanding testament to the rich and diverse culinary spectrum that has fed and feasted Texas for more than two hundred years.

?Mozel tof, y?all.?

Chicken fried steak isn't the only yummy thing served in Texas. Ever since the Spaniards encountered the Native Americans, the opportunities in Texas have attracted people from all over the world. Many families continue to celebrate favorite traditions carried from their original homeland or culture. Our Texas Heritage includes traditional recipes, modified for today's kitchen, that are fun and simple to follow. Just as enticing are the stories and traditions the author liberally sprinkles among the recipes. Use the book as a travel resource when exploring the Texas highways. Discover the Polish and their customs in Panna Maria, the Wends in Serbin, or the Danes in Danevang.As a newcomer to Texas, I found this book a delightful way to discover the diversity of my new home.

A Book of EXCELLENT Recipes and Stories

I learned so much about my _own_ heritage by reading Ms. McConachie's book. She simplifies the recipes of our grandmothers into a form that we can all use -- and the recipes are delicious! I especially enjoyed making the Danish apple cake and the Syrian-Lebanese Meat Pies. I've tasted a bit more of Texas through this book. Whether you're a history buff, cook, or one just interested in the life and food of years past, this book is for you!

Not just another multi-cultural survey

Books about which ethnic groups came to settle a region tend to read like rough drafts of a master's thesis--all stray facts gleaned from sources, and no really interesting stories. Multi-cultural cook books tend to be filled with instructions such as "find restructured ghee at your local Bengal market", rather than practical ways to prepare meals with food one is likely to have on hand. Thus, one might imagine that Dorothy McConachie's survey of ethnic traditions and recipes of the folks who settled Texas between the Civil War and World War I might be a dreary hybrid of the trivial and the impossible-to-prepare. Instead, the book is an easy, enjoyable read, and the recipes are all within reach of the average cook using average ingredients. I am of the "heat and serve" school of cooking, and yet I think I can prepare most things in this book.I particularly liked that the book, while non-trivial, has lots of "important little details" that such a survey written thirty years ago might lack. Among the native American groups, we get not only the expected discussion of Comanche practices, but also the oft-forgotten Caddo groups are discussed. The interrelation among the Polish, German and Wendish settlers is noted, making for an interesting contrast between the "old country" and the new.The style of the book is very easy to follow. Each ethnic group gets a discussion of a few pages in interesting, anecdotal detail, followed by a few recipes which utilize "normal" American kitchen ingredients. The recipes are not mere curios, but instead are things one might wish to prepare--empanaditas from Mexico, a Czech dill soup, a challah (rich egg bread), and good old-fashioned spoon bread. Too often we think of "Texas cooking" or even "southern cooking" as a monolith, just as we mistakenly think of the Anglo settlers of Texas as one ethnic group. This book helps explain who settled Texas, and provides special dishes for each group. Best of all, the whole thing is readable, fun, and devoid of that "footnote feel" which a zealous graduate student or addicted hobbyist can give this type of book.Although the focus is on groups which settled Texas, the book is quite useful to generally understand the diverse cuisines which came along with the "pioneer experience". If you like your history to be real, anecdotal and laced with recipes for things like spritz cookies, you'll enjoy this.