I spent a whole day thumbing through old cookbooks, newspaper clippings and tattered recipes (I have a hard time throwing away recipes written by hand), reminiscing about when I was first introduced to this recipe or that, remembering the occasion, the setting, and, most importantly, the people who were involved in my discovery. The afternoon was filled with memories of picnics, barbecues, cocktail parties, intimate suppers, Intracoastal Waterway cruises, tented debutante galas, museum or backyard wedding receptions and one-on-one interviews with down-home country cooks — memories gleaned from 30 years of writing about, and eating, Savannah food.

Many of the recipes I consider classics have appeared in this column since “Savoring Savannah” first debuted in the September/October 1998 issue. In fact, the concept of this column is to introduce newcomers to the delights of coastal cooking and to encourage natives to continue to cook the classics.

Before I reveal the list, a word about Lowcountry cooking: Savannah is unique in that we enjoy both Southern favorites — fried chicken, biscuits and sour cream pound cake, for example — as well as dishes that are particular to our location on the coast — shrimp and crab au gratin and crab and oyster stews. Some dishes — Lowcountry boil and the oyster roast — are “events” — the food served is both the entrée and the entertainment!

This list will no doubt foster friendly debate and the lively discussions Savannahians are noted for, so I invite you to e-mail your comments to the magazine. If the editor is willing, perhaps we can print your comments in a future article. Regardless, they will certainly provide direction to me as I search for recipes for future articles. If this list features a recipe for a classic that appeared in a past issue of Savannah Magazine, I’ve noted it at the end of the commentary.

The 16 classics no Savannahian should be asked to survive without are (drumroll, please) …

1. Fried chicken: No one fries chicken at home much any more because it is really not very healthy, and it makes such a mess — grease splatters everywhere. But is there really anything better than a crusty piece of perfectly fried chicken? I really prefer a chicken cut up at home so that the pieces are smaller, but if you must buy chicken out, the fried chicken from The Lady and Sons or Barnes is hard to beat.

2. Biscuits: I have been taught by the best — author Nathalie Dupree and former caterer Sarah Gaede — but my biscuits are still awful. So, I usually make simple drop cheese biscuits slathered with garlic and butter. No one ever complains. (March/April 1999)

3. Lowcountry boil: This recipe is original to Frogmore, S.C., where it is called Frogmore stew. Franc White, who used to host a television show called “The Southern Sportsman,” introduced me to this easy recipe — sausage, corn and shrimp boiled together and dumped out on newspaper — in 1978, when I was a rookie food editor.

4. Oyster stew: Yes, many places serve oyster stew. It’s still a Savannah classic. (January/February 1999)

6. Shrimp and crab au gratin: I think what sets Savannah’s shrimp and crab au gratin apart is the introduction of a little sherry to the cream sauce. Savannahians love a little sherry in any cream sauce. I happen to like mine made with white wine. (November/December 2003)

7. Tenderloin of beef: I know beef tenderloin is done elsewhere, but is it served as often?

8. Ribs: Memphis and Nashville are in a battle over which city produces the best barbecue, while Savannahians sit around sucking their fingers and smacking their lips. (July/August 1999)

9. Red rice: I had never had this dish before moving to Savannah, so that’s why it is included as a classic Savannah dish. I’ve seen it prepared lots of ways — with tomato juice and even V-8 juice as the “liquid.” Lots of folks add sliced sausage, which makes for a hearty dish.

10. Trifle: Pound cake or angel food cake, layered with an old-fashioned custard laced with — what else? — sherry, and topped with sweetened whipped cream. There is no better dessert.

11. Cream cheese pound cake: Unless, of course, you let the trifle go head-to-head with a heavy-as-lead cream cheese pound cake. Now, that’s a battle worth fighting!

12. Crème caramel: I know, it’s done elsewhere, but can any dining establishment top the crème caramel served at The Chatham Club, the exclusive dining club at the top of the Hilton Savannah Desoto Hotel? Theirs has to be the best in the world. (January/February 2000)

13. Benne seed cookies: Who would think of making a cookie with a cup and a half of benne seeds, also called sesame seeds? Some fabulous Savannah cook did, and Byrd Cookie Company has made this cookie famous world wide. I inherited my recipe from longtime Savannah caterer Sally Sullivan, to whom I dedicated my second cookbook, “Savannah Entertains.” I treasure her memory, the recipe she gave me and the flavor of these wonderful cookies.

14. Deviled crab: You will notice, I did not say crab cakes, which are relative newcomers to Savannah’s culinary scene and have been so done to death everywhere that they really don’t count. Recipes for deviled crab, on the other hand, have been passed down from generation to generation. Some of the best can be found on Daufuskie Island, I’m told. (September/October 1998)

15. Baked Vidalia onions: Imagine being an impressionable young reporter and being confronted with an appetizer that was a giant baked onion literally oozing butter. At first, I wondered if this was a joke! But no, baked Vidalia onions are a Savannah classic, ranking right up there with crème caramel in elegance, thank you.

16. Okra and tomatoes: This dish, like fried chicken and biscuits, is not limited to Savannah tables. However, Savannahians appreciate this dish more than some people do. We also know how to add shrimp to it to make okra gumbo. And, besides, I know that one of my readers — the one who has told me several times just how much he likes this recipe — would be very upset not to see it in this listing. (July/August 2001)

Honorable mention: Chicken tetrazzini; chicken country captain (also popular in Macon and Atlanta); sweet potato pie; fried shrimp and fried oysters; tomato sandwiches; fried flounder, corn soufflé and peach cobbler.

4 slices bacon, fried crisp, crumbled and reserved

In bacon fat, fry the bell pepper, onion and celery. Stir in the rice, tomatoes, water, salt and seasonings. Stir well. Transfer to a 1 1/2-quart baking dish sprayed with vegetable spray. Cover and bake rice for 40 minutes or until rice is tender but still has “bite.” Before serving, toss in the reserved crumbled bacon.

1 1/2 cups sesame seeds, toasted

To toast seeds: Place the seeds in single layer on cookie sheet. Place in the oven for about five minutes, watching carefully. They should just begin to lightly brown. Set aside to cool completely.

Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream brown sugar, butter and eggs until very light, about five minutes. Sift flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture. Stir with a spatula until combined. Add vanilla. Stir in cooled sesame seeds. Drop one teaspoon of batter on parchment paper lining cookie sheet. It just takes a dab of batter to produce quarter-size cookies. They will spread into perfect circles during baking.

Bake until very brown but not burned on the edges, about 14-15 minutes. Important: Let the cookies cool completely on parchment paper, then peel away from paper. Store between wax paper layers in an airtight container.

Makes about 12 dozen. Wafers freeze well in tins. They will crumble in a plastic bag.