The Butch Cook Book is a compilation of recipes from the kitchens of many butch Lesbians, and covers a complete range of foods, from hors d’oeuvres to desserts. Or, to use the butch terms: beginnings to sweet talk. There are also recipes for drinks, pet foods, and food for “the morning after.”
The recipes themselves are easy to follow and include basics (Hummus) and comfort foods (Mac and Cheese), to complicated entrees and desserts, including a good selection of meat and vegetarian dishes to satisfy the most demanding butch diner.
Scattered throughout the cookbook are articles on and about butch history, along with other bits and pieces of amusing and useful information. There is a biography for each of the contributors and each chapter heading has a line drawing involving food and power tools. Some of the drawings were rather odd, so because I was unsure of what power tools have to do with cooking, I contacted one of the authors, Nel Ward, and asked why. Her succinct answer: “it’s a butch thing.” So find those power tools and dig out that blender and serve up a dinner from The Butch Cook Book.
I recommend this book for GLBT archives and public libraries, in addition to cookbook collectors within the GLBT community.
Reviewed by Norman Eriksen
Assistant Division Manager
Languages Literature and Fiction
Brooklyn Public Library
