PCPL highlights collection

In a survey released by “Library Journal” on February 15, 67 percent of respondents listed cookbooks (more than any other category) among the top seven categories of nonfiction circulation. Cookbooks were more popular than medicine and health, how-to and home arts, currents events and politics and even biography and memoir. The current economy, paired with the increased interest in culinary television shows, is feeding the trend.

Community Outreach Specialist Tracey Daniels said, “The PCPL has an extensive and beautiful cookbook collection and we want to highlight our valuable free resources to our patrons. From Appalachian to vegetarian and from curries to BBQ, we have a wide variety of books to fit families of all sizes and budgets. Cuisines, skill-levels and nutritional considerations are all represented.”

Below is a “taste” of PCPL’s collection of cookbooks:

• “Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library: Breakfasts & Brunches”

• “The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue: Holy Smoke, the Definitive Guide to the People, Recipes and Lore”

• “The Essential Vegetarian Cookbooks: Your Guide to the Best Foods on Earth”

• “The World of Jewish Cooking: More than 500 Traditional Recipes from Alsace to Yemen”

• “Corn Bread Nation: The Best of Southern Food Writing”

• “Canning & Preserving: All You Need to Know to Make James, Jellies, Pickles, Chutneys & More”

• “Guerrilla Cooking: The Survival Manual for People Who Don’t Like to Cook or Don’t Have Time to Cook”

• “Bake It Like a Man: A Real Man’s Cookbook”

• “Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen: Capturing the Vibrant Favors of a World-Class Cuisine”

• “He Said Beer, She Said Wine: Impassioned Food Pairings to Debate and Enjoy – from Burgers to Brie and Beyond”

• “Betty Crocker’s Diabetes Cookbook”

• “Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread & Scuppernong Wine: The Folklore and Art of Southern Appalachian Cooking”

• “A Spoonful of Ginger: Irresistible, health-giving recipes from Asian Kitchens”

• “Practical Gourmet: Small Plates for Sharing”

Come visit the county’s libraries and explore their extensive collection of cookbooks, see the featured cookbook display or visit www.polklibrary.org.