Last week I had the great fortune to sit down with Jim Casada and talk about his latest book Fishing for Chickens A Smokies Food Memoir.
I filmed our talk so you can hear all the things we talked about when I publish the video, but I couldn’t wait to tell you a little about the book. It’s a must have for anyone interested in the foodways of Appalachia.
Since Jim was born and raised in the Smoky Mountains (Bryson City, NC) the book gives a first hand look at the food grown, prepared, and consumed in that area. Even though the book is a memoir of Jim’s direct connection to food, people from many different areas of Appalachia will have similar thoughts and memories about the food discussed. I would even go so far as to say that folks in other rural locales outside of the Appalachian region will also readily identify with the book.
Jim has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to mountain food and anyone who reads the book will certainly agree.
The book covers about every subject you can think of when it comes to Appalachian Foodways. I appreciate that Jim not only discussed the common every day foods that can be found on kitchen tables throughout the region, but also took time to highlight the celebratory foods that frame Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other holidays. Here’s a quick overview of the sections:
- Staples of Life
- Foods from Nature and Season Fare
- Preparing and Preserving
- Holidays and Special Events
Twenty-four chapters fit within the four sections. As if that wasn’t enough, there’s also a glossary of foodstuffs and terms, a reading and resources list, and an easy to use index to all the recipes.
After reading the book it’s hard for me to say which is my favorite part. As an avid cook I enjoy the recipes that are sprinkled throughout, but the information and stories Jim shares are hard to beat. The book truly weaves two of the most important features of Appalachian culture together: family and food.
Having dedicated over thirteen years of my life to celebrating and preserving Appalachian culture and heritage I can say Fishing for Chickens A Smokies Food Memoir will certainly stand the test of time and become not only a source of great entertainment but also a historical reference for any student of Appalachian Studies.
You can pick up your a copy of Fishing for Chickens A Smokies Food Memoir on Jim’s website here (scroll down to see the book as well as Jim’s previous book A Smoky Mountain Boyhood: Musings, Memories, and More.
Last night’s video: Making a Garden in Appalachia – First Fall Garden Tour 2022.
Subscribe for FREE and get a daily dose of Appalachia in your inbox
Thank you, Tipper, for letting me know about Jim Casada : D I just order my husband two of his books off of his website. Fishing for Chickens A Smokies Food Memoir and A Smoky Mountain Boyhood: Musings, Memories, and More. He is going to have a great Christmas ; )
Ordered. 🙂
It will likely sound so obvious that it doesn’t need saying, but food unites us all. Every single one of us have to eat so we all have that in common. Remember the old basics; food, clothing, shelter? I know folks who have been very disappointed in how their chosen work turned out for them. Along the way, I arrived at the truism that “everybody has to eat”. When you get that basic, it is easy to see that land, sunshine, water and farmers/ranchers are more important than presidents and senators.
From that basic necessity and commonality, food is intimately tied to most all aspects of life; for celebration, in sorrow, in caring, in everyday necessity. Maybe that’s why the Lord used it so much in his parables.
Jim strikes me as being one who, though he has traveled much of the wide world, his heart has stayed grounded in the Smokes to such an extent that the connection is not broken – a mite stretched perhaps – by time and distance. Lord help the folks (and I mean it most sincerely) whom life has uprooted and they’ve never gotten grounded again. I think just maybe Jim and Archibald Rutledge (one of the writers whose work(s) I believe he has edited) would be kindred spirits in that regard; Rutledge to the Santee River lowlands of South Carolina. I wish he and Don would write a book together with ‘staying home’ and ‘going away’ as intertwined themes. But neither one of them need my advice. I hope if they read this I don’t aggravate them.
Just put that book on my ‘to read’ list!
I can’t wait to see your and Jim’s joint cookbook. Jim’s discritive passages to go along with his subject are the best part. In his book Fly Fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, he covets not only the streams but historical information on them. I went to high school with Jim (one year behind) and played was on the basketball team with him. In the book “A Smokey Mountain Boyhood “, I can mentally picture some of the folks I also knew.
Thank you for sharing this info Miss Tipper! Sounds like a lot of very interesting stuff as well as a good variety. Can’t wait to watch the interview.
Jim’s new book certainly sounds like an excellent read. I intend to order one!
I love reading any book about Appalachia, especially if it includes recipes. Jim’s book sounds like a good mix of my favorite topics. Tipper, this is the kind of book I expected you to write someday. There’s a zip lock bag full of handwritten recipes in my cabinet that I have copied from your blog over the years. Some recipes are labeled Tipper’s Chocolate Pie or Tipper’s Holy Smoke Cake, even though you clearly gave credit to Aunt Faye and Granny when you posted them.
Jim Casada is a gem, not only of NC, SC, and Tenn., but the whole US!
Will definitely watch your interview with Jim. I ordered the book from him and will start reading it this week. Love to read anything he writes.
That sounds wonderful! I’m gonna have to get a copy of that book! I’m glad it’s not just recipes but also includes life in Appalachian from the inside.
Congratulations Jim and a big THANK YOU for all the support you’ve given Tipper over the years.
I am looking forward to reading that book!!
Wow, that sounds like some interesting reading. I do like cookbooks, as I have yours, and I will be ordering this one today. It is sad to see a garden going away for the winter, but also looking forward to trying new stuff next year. Thanks for all the info Tipper, and as always, God Bless.
I am now eagerly looking forward to the interview video you did with Jim Casada. I love reading his and his brother, Don’s, comments on your blog. This book sounds wonderful! Thank you for the link to Mr. Casada’s web page!
Donna. : )