Plantation Feasts and Festivities: A Celebration of the Grandes Dames of Virginia Food Hospitality

Published on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the birth of President James Madison, Plantation Feasts and Festivities not only honors a President and America's first First Lady, trend-setting Dolley Madison, but the time-honored traditions of Virginia plantation life as well. Montpelier, the lifelong home of James Madison, is but one of the plantations featured in this book, a collection of recipes and recollections that defines Virginia cuisine as a "blend of food and traditions, those small parcels of culture that combined to form the plantation." Organized by season, complete menus are provided for such significant holidays as Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, as well as more spontaneous occasions as an afternoon tea in the garden or tail gate picnic at the races. Complementing each menu and its corresponding recipes is a brief history of a featured plantation, as well as a narrative describing the cultural background of the holiday or occasion and how it was traditionally celebrated in plantation Virginia..