The African-American Heritage Cookbook

Updated new edition includes 7 previously unpublished profiles and an author note!

From the renowned Tuskegee Institute of Alabama, this classic collection of heritage recipes and anecdotes features more than two hundred mouthwatering African American dishes with pictorial accounts, personal vignettes, and poetry.

For over 100 years, the small Southern town of Tuskegee, Alabama, has been a mecca for African Americans. The Tuskegee Institute, founded by Booker T. Washington in 1881, grew from a fledgling school to a major center of American progress and education. This unique narrative cookbook traces the history and heritage of Tuskegee through reminiscences, vintage photographs, poetry, journal entries, and more than 200 recipes for delicious appetizers, entrees, side dishes, breads, beverages, and desserts that reflect the diverse and mouthwatering flavors of Southern African American cuisine.

The African American Heritage Cookbook brings alive the pride and courage of the thousands of Tuskegee alumni who have gone forth to change America and the world. Many Tuskegee graduates have contributed memories, vignettes, and classic Southern recipes—including Crab Bisque, Island Soup, Mom’s Devilish Catfish Stew, Smothered “Yard Bird,” Louisiana Gumbo, Creole Rice, Sweet Potato Casserole, Spoon Bread, Peach Pandowdy, and Dr. Carver’s Peanut Cake with Molasses.

More than a collection of wonderful recipes, The African American Heritage Cookbook is a tribute to the abundantly rich history and civil rights legacy that have made the Tuskegee Institute a landmark and an inspiration.


A delicious treasury of classic African American recipes featuring over 200 mouthwatering dishes, including:

Crab Bisque
Island Soup
Mom’s Devilish Catfish Stew
Smothered “Yard Bird”
Louisiana Gumbo
Creole Rice
Sweet Potato Casserole
Spoon Bread
Peach Pandowdy
Dr. Carver’s Peanut Cake with Molasses