Michael Twitty — Recipes from the American South - with Aaron Hutcherson episode artwork

EPISODE · Nov 20, 2025 · 1H 11M

Michael Twitty — Recipes from the American South - with Aaron Hutcherson

from Politics and Prose Presents · host Politics and Prose

'Our cuisine, with its grits and black-eyed peas, crab cakes, red rice, and endless variations on the staple foods of the region, casts a spell that, if you're lucky, gets passed down with snapping string beans at the table and chewing cane on the back porch.' - Michael W. TwittyIn the introduction to this groundbreaking recipe collection, acclaimed historian Michael W. Twitty declares, 'No one state or area can give you the breadth of the Southern story or fully set the Southern table.' To answer this, Recipes from the American South journeys from the Louisiana Bayou to the Chesapeake Bay, showcasing more than 260 of the region's most beloved dishes.Across more than 400 pages, Twitty explores the broad culinary sweep that Southern history and its many cultures represent. Recipes for breads and biscuits, mains and sides, stews, sauces, and sweets feature insightful headnotes and clear, step-by-step instructions. Home cooks will discover both iconic dishes and lesser-known specialties: Chicken and Dumplings, She-crab Soup, Red Eye Gravy, Benne Seed Wafers, Hummingbird Cake, and Mint Juleps appear alongside Shrimp Pilau, Chorizo Dirty Rice, Sumac Lemonade, and Cajun Pig's Ears Pastry.A masterful storyteller, Twitty enriches his extensive recipe collection with lyrical, deeply researched essays that celebrate the region's "multicultural gumbo" of influences from immigrants from across the globe. Vibrant food photography adds further color to the fascinating narrative.Expansive, authoritative, and beautifully designed, Recipes from the American South is a classic cookbook in the making.Michael W. Twitty is an acclaimed culinary historian, and author of the two-times James Beard Award-winning book The Cooking Gene, as well as Rice and Koshersoul. He has written for many publications and been featured throughout print and broadcast media, including the Guardian, The New York Times, The Washington Post, PBS, and NPR's The Splendid Table. He has given over 500 public talks and appeared in numerous series, including Taste the Nation and High on the Hog.Twitty is in conversation with Aaron Hutcherson, a writer and recipe developer for Food at The Washington Post. Before joining The Post, Hutcherson was a freelance writer, recipe developer, photographer and food stylist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Food & Wine, Eater, Thrillist, Taste, Serious Eats, Food52 and Simply Recipes, among other publications. Previously working in wealth management, he nurtured cooking and food writing as a hobby and started a blog, TheHungryHutch.com. Eventually, he changed careers, earning a culinary degree in 2012 from the French Culinary Institute in New York (now the Institute of Culinary Education). Hutcherson has gathered a variety of experience in the food and media worlds since, including times as a restaurant line cook, writer, editor, community manager and social media manager.https://politics-prose.com/book/9781837290871?ic_referral=etUU55H8hp8vYWsS-z22t51cCDWvgEXrj1RguGZ2qlowM6qLlr5WCE41Dd9e7dMhacvQmgf3LKQleJJBRwtD3wTR6QjfdrY0ZZHYeuRpJY8cYa9DEX4j8-cdB3oI2kO4k3NKRbo

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Nov 20, 2025

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

Michael Twitty — Recipes from the American South - with Aaron Hutcherson

0:00 1:11:54

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Politics and Prose Presents?

This episode is 1 hour and 11 minutes long.

When was this Politics and Prose Presents episode published?

This episode was published on November 20, 2025.

Can I download this Politics and Prose Presents episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!