Dolly Parton learned to cook 'out of necessity'

Dolly Parton learned to cook "out of necessity".

The 78-year-old country music legend grew up in poverty as the ninth of 11 children in rural Tennessee and recalled that whenever her mother was ill or pregnant that she and the others had to step up to the plate and take on the culinary responsibilities.

She told People: "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.

"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.

"And she said, ‘Here, you get to make cornbread tonight.’ So I was working hard at making that cornbread."

The 'Jolene' hitmaker - who has included more than 80 recipes in her new cookbook 'Good Lookin' Cookin' -explained that mealtimes were imperative to the family when she was growing up, although admitted that she probably wouldn't sample some of the dishes she was brought up on nowadays.

She said: "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 favorite 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."