Colonial Williamsburg: The Cookbook

When I was a kid, my parents and I went to Colonial Williamsburg a couple of times a year, as a day-trip. In my memory, it was always perfect fall days, just crisp enough to make walking around fun, and tons of things to see and do. Candlemakers, glass blowers, gingerbread cookies, people in costumes, the occasional cannon going off--I wanted to live in Colonial Williamsburg. Life, however, intervened, as it so often does, and I've not been back to Williamsburg since I was a high school sophomore. This cookbook makes the separation a little easier, though.

Colonial recipes updated for modern kitchens (and sometimes tastes)--a wonderful way to not only plan dinner, but teach a little history to your youngsters. For example, making corn pudding is a great way to talk about the importance of the Native American contributions to our diet. Hoppin' John, a dish made of rice and black-eyed peas, came from African slaves. Meat pies and fruit pies show the contributions of the English.

Most recipes come with historical notes, whether about the dish itself, or the owners of the various taverns and inns in Colonial Williamsburg. Fun reading, and even more fun eating.

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