Cookbooks keep our love for cooking fresh, and the lineup of cookbooks to be published through spring 2018 tells us that Southern cooking, in particular, isn’t going stale. From brisket to vegan gumbo, from Creole to Southern-Mexican fusion, the recipes in these 10 cookbooks remind us that the South’s food is as diverse as its people.
Mémère’s Country Creole Cookbook: Recipes and Memories from Louisiana’s German Coast by Nancy Tregre Wilson
In Mémère’s Country Creole Cookbook from LSU Press, Nancy Tregre Wilson shares recipes and stories from her upbringing on Louisiana’s “German Coast,” a rural area along the Mississippi River, north of New Orleans, where German and French immigrants once settled. Recipes include tea cakes, red bean gumbo and lima beans with shrimp.
Release date: March 14
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The Southern Sympathy Cookbook: Funeral Food with a Twist by Perre Coleman Magness
If there’s ever a time for comfort food, it’s following a funeral. The Southern Sympathy Cookbook brings to the table comfort food (think biscuit cinnamon rolls and Jack and Coke Sheet Cake) and a welcome dose of humor.
Release date: Jan. 16
Sweet Potato Soul: 100 Easy Vegan Recipes for the Southern Flavors of Smoke, Sugar, Spice, and Soul by Jenné Claiborne
Georgia native and vegan recipe blogger Jenné Claiborne shows that soul food can be both hearty and plant-based in Sweet Potato Soul. Recipes include jalapeño hush puppies, barbecue sliders (with jackfruit in place of meat) and, yes, even gumbo.
Release date: Feb. 6
Coconuts and Collards: Recipes and Stories from Puerto Rico to the Deep South by Von Diaz
Writer and radio producer Von Diaz draws on her Puerto Rican heritage and Atlanta upbringing in Coconuts and Collards. The cookbook is full of fusion food, like coconut milk grits or sofrito bloody marys. Diaz also writes about being a Latina in the South.
Release date: Feb. 15
For the Love of the South: Recipes and Stories from My Southern Kitchen by Amber Wilson
Louisiana-born blogger and photographer Amber Wilson curates beautiful food on her blog and Instagram, so her cookbook For the Love of the South should be no exception. Wilson now lives in Nashville, but recipes like roux and fried okra are testaments to her Cajun roots.
Release date: March 13
Julep: Southern Cocktails Refashioned by Alba Huerta
From Houston-based mixologist Alma Huerta comes Julep, a collection of cocktail and bar snack recipes that gets its name from Huerta’s buzzy, Southern-inspired cocktail bar.
Release date: March 13
The Austin Cookbook: Recipes and Stories from Deep in the Heart of Texas by Paula Forbes and Robert Strickland
From food writer Paula Forbes, The Austin Cookbook nods to the food traditions that have made the Texas capital a serious food city. This cookbook-meets-food-tour showcases local chefs and eateries, with recipes ranging from brisket to beet fries.
Release date: March 20
Turnip Greens & Tortillas: A Mexican Chef Spices Up the Southern Kitchen by Eddie Hernandez
Mexico-born and Atlanta-based Eddie Hernandez has pulled together his best fusion dishes in Turnip Greens & Tortillas. The chef’s spin on Southern and Mexican staples—like Memphis-style barbecue pork tacos or puffed-tortilla chicken pot pie—has earned him a James Beard nomination.
Release date: April 10
Southern from Scratch: Pantry Essentials and Down-Home Recipes by Ashley English
Southern from Scratch covers all the bases of from-scratch, Southern cooking, down to the sauces, spreads, relishes and jams. This cookbook will teach readers to put to good use on-hand ingredients (like dill pickles or muscadine jelly) and local, seasonal produce.
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Release date: April 24
Soul: A Culinary Evolution in 150 Recipes by Todd Richards
In Soul, Atlanta-based restaurateur and James Beard semifinalist Todd Richards traces his own history with soul food through 150 recipes. Consider it a “reintroduction to soul food,” as Richards wants to show that this cuisine can, in fact, be made fresh and modern.
Release date: May 22