The New Lowcountry Cooking 2000

There's a whole world of flavor packed into an eighty-plus-square-mile area surrounding the cities of Charleston and Savannah. It's called the Low Country of South Carolina.

For centuries, Low-Country cooks have taken the diverse foods of Africa, France, Spain, and the Caribbean and turned them into one of the most intriguing regional cuisines.

Marvin Woods, chef/owner of Diaspora Foods in Charlotte, North Carolina, offers a new take on this extraordinary cuisine. By incorporating these international flavors with contemporary techniques, he stays true to the roots of the original dish, yet creates new flavors that are innovative and delicious. With the sure hand of a seasoned chef, Woods transforms standards like fried chicken and gumbo into updated dishes for today's kitchen. Try his Southern-Exposed Fried Chicken; it's fried, then baked, for crispy, greaseless results. His Vegetable Gumbo is light, flavorful, and satisfying. There's everything from Bourbon-Soaked Pork Chops and Barbecued Short Ribs to Pan-Seared Pompano and Southern Summer Ratatouille.

Rice, South Carolina's great contribution to the American culinary melting pot, takes center stage in Crab and Shrimp Pilau and Five-Greens Rice. You'll also find recipes for the ultimate Southern classics--biscuits and cornbread--along with sensational desserts such as My Favorite Mini Mud Pies and Praline Bread Pudding.

But The New Low-Country Cooking is much more than a great cookbook. Woods shares historical tidbits on how dishes and ingredients got their names, where they originated, and the indisputable importance of African-American cooks in Southern life.

The New Low-Country Cooking hits a high note in American regional cuisine.