Editor's note: Occasionally what looks at first glance to be a conventional guidebook transcends the genre in surprising ways. John T. Edge's Southern Belly is just such a read. Yes, you can use it like the discerning guide to eating in the South it most assuredly is. But Southern Belly is also a book filled with so much heart, soul, and good writing that it demands to be read cover to cover like some John Grisham page-turner. Edge blessedly doesn't shy away from discussions of race and class, and the result is a narrative that's compellingly thoughtful and real. That's why I'm pleased that John T. has allowed us to excerpt selected items from Southern Belly in our Eating Out... More

Southern Foodways appears weekly as part of our collaboration with the Southern Foodways Alliance, an organization based in Oxford, Mississippi, that "documents and celebrates the diverse food cultures of the American South." Dig in! In January 2007, we headed to Atlanta, where we showcased SFA films and celebrated local chefs, musicians, and brewmeisters for the first-ever Potlikker Film Festival*. For those of you who were able to join us, you know what a good time we had. For those of you who missed it, you got another chance when we took the the Potlikker Film Festival on the road to Houston, in July. In Houston, we headed to St. Arnold’s Brewing Company, where we screened films by SFA filmmaker Joe... More

Southern Foodways appears on Fridays as part of our collaboration with the Southern Foodways Alliance, an organization based in Oxford, Mississippi, that "documents and celebrates the diverse food cultures of the American South." Dig in! Culinary Tourism is a thing—a big thing. So big, it has its own industry group: the International Culinary Tourism Association. Municipalities work to sell their local food scene as tourist-worthy. The National Trust for Historic Preservation names a Dozen Distinctive Destinations each year, cities chosen in part for their culinary diversity and draw. All in all, this probably is a bandwagon worth jumping on because when culinary tourism thrives, it’s local restaurants, artisans, and farmers who benefit. Engaging in culinary tourism is actually pretty easy.... More

Southern Foodways appears on Fridays as part of our collaboration with the Southern Foodways Alliance, an organization based in Oxford, Mississippi, that "documents and celebrates the diverse food cultures of the American South." Dig in! Late in June, the Southern Foodways Alliance staff loaded up a minivan and climbed aboard for a nine-hour drive from Oxford, Mississippi, to Charleston, South Carolina. Not only do we work for an organization devoted to the promotion of Southern food, we are all very good eaters and opinionated ones as well. Where to stop for lunch? That discussion began at 9 in the morning. Somewhere just across the Mississippi-Alabama state line the choice was made—Niki’s West in Birmingham, Alabama. The cafeteria line at Niki’s... More

Hot diggety dog! We asked our friends Jane and Michael Stern over at Roadfood.com to give us their top five hot dog picks. From Ben's Chili Bowl in Washington, D.C., to L.A.'s famous Pink's, these are weenies that inspire road trips. More