Country music legend Dolly Parton has said she learned to cook ‘out of necessity’ as she reflected on her childhood in poverty in rural Tennessee during the 1940s and 1950s

Living legend Dolly Parton has revealed that she first learned her way around the kitchen “out of necessity”.

The country music icon, who hails from a large family as the ninth out of 11 children, opened up about her roots in poverty-stricken rural Tennessee. Dolly shared memories of how she and her siblings would play a key role during mealtimes when their mother was busy with pregnancies or unwell.
Music legend Dolly Parton was called upon by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney to promote Welcome to Wrexham
From necessity to cookbook: Dolly Parton discusses her culinary journey and family traditions (Image: YouTube/Ryan Reynolds)

She shared with People magazine: “We’d have to climb up on the chairs to peel potatoes, turnips or whatever. We were really helping out when Mama was not well, or in bed with a kid or having a new baby or whatever… so my first [lesson] came out of just really being a necessity of us helping mom as the older girls.”

Recalling her earliest cooking experiences, Dolly jests about her mother’s intentions: “My mama probably just wanted me out of the way, so she pulled up a chair and had all the things and she had it in a bowl.” The ‘Jolene’ songstress elaborated, saying, “And she said, ‘Here, you get to make cornbread tonight.’ So I was working hard at making that cornbread.”

Now 78, the beloved musician is set to delight fans with a treasure trove of over 80 recipes in her new cookbook titled ‘Good Lookin’ Cookin”. Her book delves into the significance of mealtime in her family while growing up, a practice centered on kinship and conversation once her father returned home from work.

Despite this, Dolly admits some of those childhood dishes might not find favor with her current palate, stating: “When we were growing up, it was a must that we all kind of be around the table after Daddy got home from work. It was just a thing that we had in our house to sit around the table and talk, and eat with a mouthful.”

“Mama used to make a groundhog. That was Daddy’s favoUrite thing. A groundhog is just like a big fat hog that runs around in the woods. But mama used to call them whistle pigs because they were that much like a pig. It tastes very much like a pig, but I wouldn’t want to eat one now.”