Southern Belly: A Food Lover's Companion

by John T. Edge

Overview

John T. Edge, "the Faulkner of Southern food" (the Miami Herald), reveals a South hidden in plain sight, where restaurants boast family pedigrees and serve supremely local specialties found nowhere else. From backdoor home kitchens to cinder-block cafés, he introduces you to cooks who have been standing tall by the stove since Eisenhower was in office. While revealing the stories behind their food, he shines a bright light on places that have become Southern institutions.

In this fully updated and expanded edition, with recipes throughout, Edge travels from chicken shack to fish camp, from barbecue stand to pie shed. Pop this handy paperback in the glove box to take along on your next road trip. And even if you never get in the car, you'll enjoy the most savory history that the South has to offer.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781565128415
Publisher:	Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
Publication date:	06/29/2007
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	351
Sales rank:	542,349
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

John T. Edge is a contributing editor at Gourmet. He also writes for the New York Times and the Oxford American and appears on the Food Network's The Secret Life of... and NPR's weekend All Things Considered. His work has been featured in the last six Best Food Writings annuals, and his books include A Gracious Plenty and Fried Chicken: An American Story. Director of the Southern Foodways Alliance at the University of Mississipi, he is also the columnist for the Atlanta Journal Constitution's Saving Southern Food series. Visit his website at www.johntedge.com.

Table of Contents

Contents
xi Introduction: An Appetite for Context
1 Alabama
31 Arkansas
51 (North) Florida
75 Georgia
105 Kentucky
127 Louisiana
163 Mississipi
191 North Carolina
219 South Carolina
243 Tennessee
271 (East) Texas
295 Virginia
317 Thanks
321 Photograph Credits
327 Places

What People are Saying About This

"I want to keep Southern Belly around for reference and rereading. That's why I keep fighting off the urge to eat it."—Roy Blount Jr.

Editorial Reviews

"The book blends history, culture and good eating, with visits to more than 200 restaurants."—Atlanta Journal Constitution

From the Publisher

"Edge is a man on a mission, a mission to preserve and celebrate two of America's greatest cultural gems: the food and the food lore of the South. . . . Southern Belly is the apotheosis of Edge's great passions for Southern food and Southern people. The book is filled with pictures, drawings, maps, stories, recipes and--most important--a carefully culled selection of Southern restaurants that serve what Edge calls 'honest food.' He is a spirited guide . . . What he does best: uncover another unsung gastronomical treasure with a surprising, uniquely Southern story."--Salon.com

Salon.com

"The book blends history, culture and good eating, with visits to more than 200 restaurants."--Atlanta Journal Constitution

Atlanta Journal Constitution

"To be in the company of a mind this curious is a pleasure."
—The New York Times Book Review

New York Times Book Review