![]() ![]() Throughout much of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, African American cooks were subject to what Tipton-Martin calls the "Jemima code," an "encoded message assumes that black chefs, cooks, and cookbook authors-by virtue of their race and gender-are simply born with good kitchen instincts diminishes knowledge, skills and abilities involved in their work, and portrays them as passive and ignorant laborers incapable of creative culinary artistry." Through the use of cookbooks, Tipton-Martin hopes to "break" the Jemima code and highlight that African American cooks relied on hard work, creativity, and cooking techniques often passed down orally to craft their cooking talents-they were not simply "born with good kitchen instincts," but had to work for them. The book's purpose, however, is not to create a simple bibliography of African American cookbooks but to showcase the learned-skills and ingenuity of black cooks. For each cookbook, Tipton-Martin provides a brief review and critique, as well as sample recipes. Toni Tipton-Martin's The Jemima Code presents over 150 African American cookbooks ranging from an 1827 servants manual to modern classics by Edna Lewis and Vertamae Grosvenor, all from Tipton-Martin's personal collection. ![]() ![]() ![]() The Jemima Code: An Interview with Toni Tipton-Martin Toni Tipton-Martin and Jon Warner ![]()
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