Entries from Eating Out tagged with 'SFA column'
Posted by Melissa Hall, October 19, 2007 at 2:00 PM
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!
Chances are, if you don’t happen to live in or around Louisiana you might never have heard of boudin. If you do know about it but don’t live anywhere near where it’s made, you likely got your first taste of boudin courtesy of Calvin Trillin through his essay, "The Missing Links: In Praise of the Cajun Foodstuff That Doesn’t Get Around."
Since boudin is so good, why is it such a secret? Trillin posits a possible answer, “I figure that about 80 percent of the boudin purchased in Louisiana is consumed before the purchaser has left the parking lot, and most of the rest is polished off in the car. In other words, Cajun boudin not only doesn’t get outside the state; it usually doesn’t even get home.”
Another possible answer—boudin is a by-product of hog killing. The stuff a commercial slaughterhouse might discard or sell for animal feed, the boudin enthusiast saves and uses. And, he uses it well. Boudin is made from the parts of the hog that can’t be preserved—liver, hog jaw, belly, heart, kidney, and, sometimes, blood. All the good stuff is ground and mixed with rice, green parsley, green onions, onions, and other secret spices then squeezed into a sausage casing.
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Posted by Melissa Hall, October 5, 2007 at 4:50 PM
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. It doesn’t require taking days off work, buying a ticket, or paying an admission fee. Rather, it requires only a commitment to getting off the interstate and resisting the urge to pull into a fast food drive-thru.
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Entries from Required Eating tagged with 'SFA column'
Posted by Melissa Hall, May 10, 2008 at 6:00 PM
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!
Southern Foodways has an event coming up that serious eaters might want to attend. It is:
Franklin Food & Spirits Festival
May 30 – May 31, 2008, in Franklin, Tennessee
Discover the secrets of the smoke from the nation’s best barbecue pit masters. Indulge in authentic fried pies. Journey by film deep into the legends and lore of the South’s richest food traditions. We promise tasty food and a good time to everyone who attends. Jim 'N Nick's knows good old-fashioned Southern cooking, and we are bringing it to your doorstep with the Southern Food & Spirits Festival. Go whole hog or spend just $25 in BBQ Bucks. Either way, you'll feed body and mind. Advance tickets here, or you can buy BBQ Bucks at the gate.
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Posted by Melissa Hall, April 25, 2008 at 3:30 PM
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!
Photographs taken by Amy C. Evans
SFA oral historian Amy Evans just returned from a weeklong fieldwork-gathering trip to the Windy City, looking for stories of transplanted Southerners who left their homes but held on to family recipes. Some of the people she visited include:
- James Lemons of Lem's Bar-B-Q, who left Indianola, Mississippi, as a young man, following his brothers to Chicago and into the barbecue business.
- Barbara Ann Bracy, who laughed as she remembered her Mississippi-born father opening the barbecue joint she still runs on the South Side and naming it after her.
- Edna Stewart, who recalled the moment when Civil Rights workers first visited her restaurant, Edna's, and when the Reverend Jesse Jackson fell for her sweet potatoes.
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Posted by Melissa Hall, April 4, 2008 at 3:15 PM
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!
At long last, the SFA is producing a cookbook. We've thought about it. Talked about it. And, we've heard you ask the question: "Why don't you guys do this?" We listened and it's happening.
Our cookbook team has been working since last fall to figure out how the thing will look (a fun, funky, respectful riff on community cookbooks), what recipes we'll include (nothing from previously published sources or generic web sites—only the tried and true, much loved and well-used, creased and grease stained), and how we'll acknowledge contributors (we're going old school; we mean really old school—Mrs. Emily Smith of Wilmore, Kentucky—you get the picture).
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Posted by Melissa Hall, March 21, 2008 at 4:45 PM
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!
Interested in Southern food but find yourself geographically challenged and living above the Mason Dixon line? Never fear—Zingerman's Roadhouse in Ann Arbor, Michigan is here! Zingerman's is devoted to finding (and making) the best foods in the world, and they're kind enough to ship their treasures right to your door. The Roadhouse (one of several jewels in the Zingerman crown, including the Bakehouse, the Creamery, the Delicatessen, and the Coffee Company) specializes in really good American food—their description, not mine! Alex Young, the chef at the Roadhouse, wowed us all last October during the SFA symposium with one of best oyster stews we've ever tasted.
The Roadhouse is hosting a fundraiser for the Southern Foodways Alliance featuring a meal from the Mississippi Delta. We're going to cover a lot of ground for this fundraiser. Marcie Cohen Ferris, special guest and SFA board president, is going to address the southern Jewish experience. She was born and raised in the south, and her two experiences of being both Jewish and southern have shaped her career. She worked with chef Alex to create a menu reflecting Jewish foods from the Mississippi Delta.
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Posted by Melissa Hall, March 7, 2008 at 4:45 PM
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!
It's cold today and snowing (or about to snow) here in Mississippi. We don't get snow that often. In fact, if this forecast becomes reality it will be the first real snow Oxford has seen in five or six years. Truth be told, I'd enjoy a little snow, sort of.
The Ole Miss students are heading out of town for spring break. March Madness is upon us. My yard is full of daffodils. The tulip trees have bloomed and the rest of the trees aren't far behind. And, just yesterday I bought my first seed packet. So forgive me if I can't get completely happy about the snow. I'm ready for spring. I'm ready for a garden.
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Posted by Melissa Hall, February 29, 2008 at 4:00 PM
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!
Arguably one of the hottest tickets in town, if not in the country, the High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction celebrates its 16th year. Last year, the auction set records as the most successful live auction in its 15-year history, bringing in revenues of more than $1.8 million.
Friday night’s gala and Saturday’s live auction are already sold out. But, there is still space available at many of the events leading up to the big finale, one we think you’ll particularly enjoy because we planned it ourselves!
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Posted by Melissa Hall, February 22, 2008 at 9:45 AM
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!
Georgia Organics is hosting its 11th annual conference, Quantum Leap: Taking Food & Farms Back...to the Future, February 28 to March 1 at the North West Georgia Trade and Convention Center in Dalton, Georgia.
Listen and learn as we imagine a future where farm, family, and community values merge with sustainable innovation—where thriving family farms connect with consumers at school, at work, at play. At this conference, you’ll gather the knowledge, tools, and connections needed to take your food and farms into that future. Learn about organic production, marketing, pastured livestock, local food systems, farm-to-school activities, and more from leaders in sustainable agriculture and foods.
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Posted by Melissa Hall, February 15, 2008 at 11:15 AM
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!
Inspired by the rum infusions she was exposed to as a bartender in St. Croix, Joy Perrine has developed an entire menu of infused bourbons at Jack’s Lounge in Louisville, Kentucky. Photograph by Amy Evans
Louisville is awash in bourbon. And beer. It's a drinking person’s town, due in no small part to the state’s bourbon heritage and the city’s nickname-namesake brewery, Falls City. This is where the Old Fashioned was invented. It’s where Al Capone dodged the law during prohibition, ducking out of the Seelbach Hotel through secret passageways. And it’s where barkeeps plied their customers with rolled oysters and bean soup to keep them coming back. Louisville’s private clubs, hotel bars, and neighborhood taverns are rich with drinking history and lore, and there’s always time for another round.
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Posted by Melissa Hall, February 8, 2008 at 1:30 PM
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!
A few months ago, just as the weather was turning cold, I waxed nostalgic about hog killing. I included some pictures of the practice and an essay from Southern Food Alliance member Evan Hatch.
At The Old South Farm Museum and Agricultural Learning Center, they don’t just talk about, write about, or photograph hog killing—they actually do it. And, if you ask nicely, they’ll let you help.
The Woodland, Georgia museum traces Southern rural life from the 1800s to the 1960s. On the property you’ll find everything from wood burning stoves to steam tractors. With acres of buildings and displays, you can spend a couple of hours looking at items that were common just decades ago. Here you can pump water and see the type of equipment used to wash clothes as well as see a working smokehouse, grind grain, spin cotton and perhaps make sausage.
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Posted by Ed Levine, January 18, 2008 at 4:00 PM
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 York. Enjoyed creative munchies prepared by local chefs, including Shade’s Claire Smith. We shook our hips to some Texas tunes. Quenched our thirst with some of the creations from Texas’s oldest craft brewery. And, yep, it was hot.
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Posted by Melissa Hall, January 5, 2008 at 6:00 AM
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!
Happy New Year! Most of my time in this space is spent talking about the people who are the soul of Southern food—the men and women who grow, harvest, cook, and serve our meals. That’s a huge part of what we do at the Southern Foodways Alliance. We document those stories. But there’s another part to our mission: We also celebrate all aspects of Southern cuisine. How do we do that? Through events—Potlikker Film Festivals, day camps, field trips, fund-raisers, and, of course, our annual symposium.
At each event we bring folks together to talk about, think about, and argue about Southern food. We also eat and drink very well. The schedule for 2008 is already taking shape. And, it’s going to be a great year. If we’re coming to your neck of the woods, won’t you join us?
This weekend, the fine folks at Blackberry Farm are hosting their annual SFA fund-raiser, Taste of the South. It’s a weekend of food and fun. And, oh yes, a weekend where the members of The Fellowship of Southern Farmers, Artisans, and Chefs will welcome new fellows—Scott Peacock of Watershed in Atlanta, Alex and Betsy Hitt of Peregrine Farms in Chapel Hill, and Jamie and Jessica Little of Sweetgrass Dairy in Georgia. The fellows will be celebrated with first-rate food from Billy Allin, Linton Hopkins, and Andrea Ruesing. They will be toasted by first-rate wines and spirits courtesy of Jon-David Headrick and Julian and Preston Van Winkle. A silent auction featuring lots packed with art, food, and wine treats from across the South rounds out the bill. Blackberry Farm: 1471 West Millers Cove Road, Walland TN 37886
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Posted by Melissa Hall, December 31, 2007 at 2:30 PM
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!
Looking for good luck and good fortune in the new year? Secretly wishing for both while publicly resolving to do good unto others? Maybe you're just looking for a way to celebrate the new year that doesn't involve Champagne, Times Square, or staying up late?
Try a New Year's Day feast of black-eyed peas and collard greens. Both are thought to bring a year filled with prosperity. Some think the black-eyed peas represent copper—pennies, specifically. So, for truly good fortune in the new year, be sure to eat 365 black-eyed peas (the only way to get a whole year's worth of good luck).
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Posted by Melissa Hall, December 14, 2007 at 4:00 PM
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!
In 2006, the Southern Foodways Alliance headed to Apalachicola, Florida, for a field trip. We were there for four days—tonging for oysters, gathering Tupelo honey, casting shrimp nets, worm grunting, and, of course, eating well.
As always, we did more than a bit of talking with the folks who have built their lives and livelihoods in the Apalachicola Bay.
These people tell stories of the days when schools of mullet were thick in the water and when Tupelo honey was a local find, not a Hollywood star. More than fish tales and folklore, these are the stories of the men and women who have depended on the Apalachicola Bay for generations. They are stories from Florida’s Forgotten Coast.
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Posted by Melissa Hall, November 16, 2007 at 5:15 PM
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!
By way of this blog, the Southern Foodways Alliance seeks to introduce you to folks you might not otherwise ever encounter. While it's likely you won't ever meet Allan Benton in person, it is likely you'll encounter his ham or bacon in the finest restaurants across the country. Momofuku in New York City serves Benton's bacon. So does McCrady's in Charleston, South Carolina. You'll also find Benton's on your plate at The City Grocery in Oxford, Mississippi. Allan Benton's hams and bacon have been highlighted in Saveur, Gourmet, and, most recent, Southern Living.
This year, the SFA honored Allan with The Jack Daniel's Lifetime Achievement Award. This is the highest honor the SFA bestows. Past award winners include restaurateur and chef Frank Stitt; author and expert on the foodways of Appalachia, Joe Dabney; and author and historian John Egerton.
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Posted by Melissa Hall, November 2, 2007 at 2:30 PM
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!
There was no talk of Southern food on these pages last week Friday. Mostly because we were all hunkered down here in Oxford, Mississippi, ruminating on the state of Southern food at the tenth annual Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium.
We pondered where we’ve been and where we are going. We thought critically about the SFA’s role in documenting and celebrating the diverse food cultures of the American South. We paid homage to the subjects of our oral history initiative. Some of whom you’ve met on these pages. We repaid debts of pleasure earned over generations.
And, in this, the Year of the Pig, we saluted all things swine. Whole-hog barbecue, boudin, gratons, bacon, pig ears, pig cheeks, pig pâté.... Get the pig-ture? Well, we did. We rounded out our crazy pork obsession with a little sugar—peanut cotton candy, peanut marshmallows, sweet potato crème caramel, and coconut cake. We washed all that down with sweet tea and charcoal-filtered spirits.
But, the symposium isn’t just about filling a plate. It’s also about filling your mind. So food writers and food scholars offered up a full buffet of topics to satiate the intellectually curious. From savage barbecue to the stamp of the USDA, no topic was left unexplored. If you’d like to learn more about the SFA and hear lectures from the symposium, subscribe to our SFA Symposium podcast feed.
Posted by Melissa Hall, October 12, 2007 at 2:30 PM
It's cold enough to kill hogs. OK, it's not. But, it should be. And, hopefully, it will be soon. For most of us, hog-killing isn't the family, social, community event it used to be. But then, most of us don't spend our spring worrying about the health and survival of our suckling pigs while eyeing the cold day in late fall (the cold day that heralds the coming of many more cold days) when those same pigs will provide sustenance for a long winter.
Ever wondered how it is Southerners took to the hog so devotedly? The answer lies in our relatively recent pioneer past. In his great book Eating, Drinking, and Visiting in the South, Joe Gray Taylor explains, "A pig born in the spring was ready for slaughter in early winter, obviating the necessity for carrying anything other than breeding stock over the winter." Further, Taylor notes, "Compared to other animals, hogs were efficient in converting grain to meat. One estimate is that 24 percent of the energy of grain eaten by hogs is made available for human consumption as compared to 18 percent for milk products and only 3 1/2 percent for beef and mutton." [Squeamish readers beware: Graphic hog-butchering photos after the jump.]
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Posted by Melissa Hall, September 28, 2007 at 2:00 PM
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 West is legendary. Mid-morning you can find folks in line, piling their plates high with some of the freshest and most colorful vegetables in Birmingham. And if the cafeteria line isn’t your style, they also have an à la carte menu where you’ll find even more fresh seafood, steaks, and a few traditional Greek dishes.
Why the Greek food?
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Posted by Melissa Hall, September 21, 2007 at 4:40 PM
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!
From left: Florida fishermen Tommy Ward and A. L. Quick
After the long, hot bi-valveless summer, it is time to anticipate and then savor platters filled with glistening briny fresh oysters. Can’t get a table at your favorite seafood place tonight? Then, celebrate the start of oyster season with a virtual trip to Apalachicola, Florida. Meet the men and women who have long worked the water, tonging for oysters, casting nets for shrimp and fish, and cultivating soft-shell crabs on Florida’s Forgotten Coast.
People have drawn their livelihoods from the Apalachicola Bay and surrounding waters for generations, but their way of life is changing. These people tell stories of the days when schools of mullet were thick in the water and when tupelo honey was a local find, not a Hollywood star.
Visit with Tommy Ward of the 13 Mile Oyster Company and oysterman, A.L. Quick and his wife, Gloria to learn the love and art of oystering.
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Posted by Melissa Hall, September 14, 2007 at 3:30 PM
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!
Goat, anyone?
Goat is gaining popularity in the South. Mild in flavor, low in cholesterol, and high in demand. Worldwide, goat meat accounts for 63 percent of all red meat consumption. Thanks to growing immigrant populations in the American South, it is easier to find now than even just ten years ago.
Here in Mississippi, this emerging trend is actually a time-honored tradition. No one seems to know the origin of the practice, though the tie is likely to the Caribbean.
Goat roasts have been a part of Lafayette County family gatherings for at least the last 60 or 70 years.
Deke Baskin (pictured) has roasted goats for community picnics for nearly 35 years. He learned the art from a family member who did it for 30 years before him. A goat roast features a crowd of people, side dishes such as slaw and corn on the cob, and music. Here in Lafayette County, the music is likely to come from a string band. In nearby Panola and Tate Counties, the music is fife and drum.
Deke won’t share his entire recipe or even its details—just the broad strokes.
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Posted by Melissa Hall, September 7, 2007 at 5:30 PM
Editor's note: I just want to take a moment here to introduce this post, and then I'll let you have at it. On Fridays, we'll be featuring Southern Foodways items, from Melissa Hall of the Southern Foodways Alliance. The SFA is an organization based in Oxford, Mississippi, that "documents and celebrates the diverse food cultures of the American South." This is the first in the series. Dig in! —Adam
Immigration is in the news and working its way in to the consciousness of thinking eaters everywhere. The reality: Much of the food we enjoy comes to us through the labor of immigrants—on the farm and in the kitchen. Much of the recent political debate centers on the arrival or deportation of immigrants. Little is said about those folks who are already here. Still less is said about the impact these folks have on the culinary life of their new communities.
In Carrboro, North Carolina (just outside of Chapel Hill), Cliff Collins (pictured) started working in a local meat market when he was still in high school. After five years behind the counter, he decided to open a place of his own. The year was 1973. Thousands of pork chops and chicken breasts later, Cliff’s Meat Market, the last of the family-owned markets in the area, is still going strong.
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