The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-02-27
AFRICAN COOKERY DOWN
SOUTH.
skill of Negro Women I'm Preparing
Toothsome vtnnds.

skill Of Negro Women I'm Preparing
Toothsomc vinnds.
Louisiana Lsttw In New York SUM-
1t IL cont ,nded by the oldstsrs that the
only things In central Louisiana which
have retYograded since the war are the
food and the manner Of cooking it, and
sometimes they have their doubts about
that, although the old black mammies,
who used to be such famous cooks, ore
still alive In fair number. and those that
died hsndsd down their recipe to their
daughters. This style of cookery, some
times known as African cookery, Is
peculiar to the south, and IL attlins to u
higher excellence In no southern state
than In louisiana. 1t Is simple. quite
clean, highly seasoned. though not ex-
cessiveIy SO, and displays great cars.
The negro woman who made her rsputA-
tion as cook was always one who had
nothing to do care cook. Indeed, she
would have bean insulted II asked to do
any thing else. Water was brought TO
her; fuel wAs ready to her hand; when
she was through. as she used to say, she
was through. No washing of dishes or
utensils or tidy ing up the kitchen for her !
She took her welI-earned rest as calmly
and In almost aA -muoh state as her own
ers. These things are true of the negro
cook Of today. In the weather. families
the cook Is required only to cook. She
differs from her ante oelium predecessor
only in that she is much more indepsnd-
emit Her services are always In demand.
and IL che considers herself treated with
a laok of datsrsuce she can 90 elsewhere
The doors of q dozen other kitchens are
open for her. She takes high pride In
her art, and much Of the excellence OF
her products 10 dus to her unceasing
watonfuiness. Under h,r the roasts are
always done TO turn, and the bread does
not remain In the oven moment longer
than 10 necessary, She Is csrisin also to
have dozen private recipes possibly In
vented by herself, or more probably band
ed down to her by her "ol mi't rs, or
the dang hter of her col mist'us." Thus
he cook at one "b!g house" on plauta-
tion will be famed for her soups, another
Tor her biscuits. another Tor her manner
of preparing snipe or woodcook, another
for her pastry, and so forth. They can
all cook. OF course. ali the foods that
are apt to come within their experience,
but each of them has q speciality or sons-
times Two specialttes.
It used to be oontended by John Cham
terIin of Washington that negro woman
torn In slavery WIS the BEST COOK the
world ever saw, and to back up his state
10 sn { he had four such women In tbs
kitchen OF his hotel at Fifteenth and
streets. They did It ALI. Their black
fingers prepared every thing, from oanvns-
back to broiled bacon. No French or
Italian chefs for Chamberlin. and 10 Is a
fast that In tho estimation of some tudg-
es better cookery wan not TO be had any
where 10 the world than that found upon
bis tables In his Iifstime. 10 may well
bs doubted, however, that tbs African
woman IL the hest cook the world ever
saw or tEat ems Is capable OF being devel-
| oped into such an artist She lacks the
necessary Intelligence and creative faoul-
| ~. Ii lie true, however, that once abe
| mas had partial Institutions, once abe has
been shown how she will prepare a
dish as we'll as the mistress who gave her
| the object lesson. The reputation OF
southern cookery by negro women, q
reputation as high and strong today az
| Id ever was, IL due mere than anything
| eise to the PECULIAR flavor impaired to the
| viands by wood tirea. There are few
| places In the south where the cooking u
done by coal or gas, and no places at all
In the far South, outside of the larger
| cities.
The Eypi0sl Loaisis,ss Foods, of which
Mr.. EDWARDS was so fond, and which
oaptfvRte most northerners brought int
oontaot with them, ara many. To begin
| with, Louisiana in the winter Is one Of
The best game countries on earth. II Ii
| visited by tens of thousands OF wild
fowls, ducks Of all descriptions, geese,
nsant sand-biI cranes and curlsws.
| Jacxsnipe and woodoock are in drovss,
and 10 is littls trouble to KID them
| When the river boats stop at the town
landings, negroes hoArd them, wearing
| Woodcook around their nsoks on strings.
| looking much like lady's boa. 5t
| woodcock ta.the string. The birds have
| been killsd IN the cotton field the nisnt
hsfore, and are sold nc i've cents each.
| Spips are 80 common. On Lake Gaia.
houis not long ago hunters butohered
ducks all of the season through for The
feathers. the tissh being worth nothing
at all In an oysrstocked markst. Vent
son is to be had In plenty. Oysters am
delivered cheap anywhere IN the state
and they are o. sters of remarkable sizs
and flavor. Fishes shipped up from Ne"
| Orleans by ths hundrsdwe are pom
panos, shsspshssds, reddish and red snap
/ peTs, The streams contain many black
bass, jackfish and perch. AL OF the do
nestle animals. OF course, are In plenty
Indian maize Is made to assume u dozsI
shapes. With such materials to wors
with, II IL not q wonder that the Negro
cooks OF tina stats achieved and hold q
lrupetation. Not lang ago. when th'
Iysungsst son OF Joseph Jefferson, ths