Golden sweet potato pie with cinnamon-dusted surface in a fluted pastry shell on a vintage plate

Reconstruction-era USA · United States

Abby Fisher's Sweet Potato Pie

Name: Abby Fisher's Sweet Potato Pie
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: United States
Ingredients: 1 blind-baked 23cm shortcrust shell; 600g sweet potatoes, boiled and mashed; 100g brown sugar; 60g butter, melted; 3 large eggs; 200ml whole milk; 1 tsp cinnamon; 1/2 tsp nutmeg; 1/2 tsp ground ginger; 1 tsp vanilla; Pinch salt

From What Mrs Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking · Abby Fisher · 1881

Verified from original source

A silky, deep-orange sweet potato pie from the mother of modern Southern cookbook writing.

Historical note: Abby Fisher — born into slavery — dictated her book to friends in San Francisco. It's one of the earliest cookbooks by an African-American author.

History

Abby Fisher's sweet potato pie recipe appears in her 1881 cookbook, the first known cookbook published by an African American woman in the United States. Born enslaved around 1831, Fisher became a successful pickle manufacturer and caterer in San Francisco. Her cookbook preserved traditional Southern African American cooking techniques passed down through oral tradition. Sweet potato pie itself has West African roots, brought by enslaved Africans who substituted sweet potatoes for African yams in traditional recipes. The dish became central to African American culinary tradition, particularly for holidays and celebrations, and remains an iconic Southern dessert today.

Sources

Fisher, Abby. What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking. 1881.
Twitty, Michael W. The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History. 2017.
Harris, Jessica B. High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America. 2011.
Bower, Anne L., editor. African American Foodways: Explorations of History and Culture. 2007.
Feeding America: The Historic American Cookbook Project. Michigan State University Library.

Serves

Prep

20m

Cook

60m

Difficulty

Medium