13 Best Southern Cookbooks - Cookbooks Based On Your Favorite Southern Dish

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Fried Green Tomatoes

A great movie and an even better dish, crispy green tomatoes are part of every Southerner's palate. Tart and battered, these green guys are the ultimate fried food.

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Ballantine Books Fannie Flagg's Original Whistle Stop Cafe Cookbook

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Ballantine Books Fannie Flagg's Original Whistle Stop Cafe Cookbook

Who better to learn from than Fannie Flagg herself? As the author of the best-selling book and inspiration for the film Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, her companion cookbook promises you too can re-create the greens seen on screen.

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Chicken and Dumplings

It doesn't matter how bad of a day you're having; when you come home to a dinner of chicken and dumplings everything is instantly easier. This comfy, cozy dish feels just as good as a hug from your grandma.

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Brand: Ten Speed Press The Southern Slow Cooker

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Brand: Ten Speed Press The Southern Slow Cooker

Because we might not always have grandma on hand, cooking chicken and dumplings in a slow cooker is one way to have this home-cooked meal ready when you come home. The recipe featured here is easy-to-make, time-friendly, and rivals any restaurant.

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Sausage Biscuits and Gravy

It might not be the prettiest, but there's no better breakfast. Biscuits and gravy is a dish you order without hesitation once you discover it's on the menu, and now there's no knead to go out to eat again after learning how to make it yourself.

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Voyageur Press Biscuit Head: New Southern Biscuits, Breakfasts, and Brunch

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Voyageur Press Biscuit Head: New Southern Biscuits, Breakfasts, and Brunch

Now 22% Off

As owners of the Biscuit Head restaurants that originated in Asheville, North Carolina, you can trust this husband-and-wife duo's recipe is top-tier. The book goes beyond biscuits, too. It includes directions for other Southern staples and has helpful tips (like using an ice cream scoop to measure your biscuits!).

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Fried Chicken

Place it on a sandwich for lunch or serve it as a side with waffles during breakfast—it doesn't get more Southern or versatile than the classic fried chicken. The dish fits into all three mealtimes for a delicious reason.

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Atlantic Monthly Press Shuck Beans, Stack Cakes, and Honest Fried Chicken

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Atlantic Monthly Press Shuck Beans, Stack Cakes, and Honest Fried Chicken

This Kentucky-born cook definitely has the credibility for writing a fried chicken recipe. You're not only getting a taste of the South from her food, either. Author Ronni Lundy includes stories from her time in the region with her directions.

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Peach Cobbler

When it comes to dessert, fruit should be center stage. At least that's true for Southern sweets. Fitting somewhere between a pie and a tart, peach cobbler is a quintessential summer treat.

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Gibbs Smith Just Peachy

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Gibbs Smith Just Peachy

There's nothing fuzzy about following this recipe—except for the fruit you'll use. The writer is a granddaughter of Mississippi sharecroppers and shares history and knowledge about peaches alongside her delicious directions.

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Cooked Greens

Sometimes they're paired with cornbread and black-eyed peas as a dish meant to bring good luck in the New Year. Or, find them at a dinner featuring fried chicken and sweet potatoes. Either way, you can't go wrong serving greens at a Southerner's supper.

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12

Knopf In Pursuit of Flavor

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Knopf In Pursuit of Flavor

Now 37% Off

You won't find someone who knows fresh, Southern flavor better than the award-winning author Edna Lewis. She knows every trick in the book, so she wrote her own. Edna shares recipes from her childhood in a Virginia farming community, including her flavorful cooked greens that feature just four ingredients.

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Banana Pudding

If you go to a BBQ and they aren't serving banana pudding, is it even a BBQ? Certainly not one in the South, where this dessert is necessary for cooling down after facing some hot heat from spicy rubs and high humidity.

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14

Atria Books Callie's Biscuits and Southern Traditions

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Atria Books Callie's Biscuits and Southern Traditions

Carrie Morey is more than just biscuits, and she proves it in more ways than one. Before Callie's Hot Little Biscuits was a nationally recognized brand, her family passed down recipes amongst themselves. She shares some here, like one for Mama’s Sour Cream Banana Pudding.

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Fried Catfish

It'd be pretty fishy to dine at a meat-and-three without at least one person in your group getting this fried dish. Flaky, crunchy, and maybe even a little spicy, there's something even more special about a homemade batch of Southern-fried catfish.

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Rodney Scott's World of BBQ

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Rodney Scott's World of BBQ

World-renowned pitmaster Rodney Scott walks readers through his grandmother’s fried catfish recipe in this cookbook. Not only are you learning from a pro, but the sweet sentiment behind the dish makes it taste all the better.

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Okra

One of the most divisive dishes to date, people stand on a firm side of the aisle when asked their opinion on the veggie. But, with the right spices and seasonings, there's surely a way to find harmony even among the nonbelievers.

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The University of North Carolina Press Okra: a Savor the South cookbook

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The University of North Carolina Press Okra: a Savor the South cookbook

If there's hope yet to convert your friends and family from hating okra to celebrating the seed, you'll find it here. While featuring a great Southern-fried recipe, there are plenty of other options for convincing, from grilled and steamed options to a gumbo recipe.

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Sweet Potato Pie

Swap potatoes for pumpkins, and you'll get a classic Southern pie. Forget saving this sweet only for Thanksgiving; the dessert is too good not to serve year-round.

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Ten Speed Press Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies

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Ten Speed Press Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies

This recipe is as easy as...well, you know. The no-fuss, no-frills directions promise the perfect pie, so you'll have time to make the other classic flavors the cookbook includes.

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