Talk About Good! was originally published in the summer of 1967 by the Junior League of Lafayette, La., as a community fundraiser. Fifty years, 30 editions and about 800,000 copies later, the book’s yellow-and-white-striped cover occupies kitchen shelves across the region known as Acadiana — and far beyond its borders.
The story of a community cookbook is the story of a community. Steeped in the tradition of hospitality and blessed with an abundance of natural culinary resources — Gulf seafood, long-grain rice and sugar cane, to name a few — this map dot known as Cajun country sustains one of the richest and most popular food cultures around. You may not be able to pronounce etouffee, but you probably know you want some.
To learn more about this book and for a few recipes, read Wednesday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Style.