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... More

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... More