Alexandra Soccio-Mallon · Follow
Published in · 6 min read · Apr 29, 2018
The food a culture eats is one of the things that defines that culture. The food people grow up with shapes part of their identity, which means they will carry a piece of their culture with them forever, and then pass it down to children and grandchildren. The Appalachian Regional Commission defines the southern subregion of Appalachia as an area consisting of 104 counties in South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi (“Subregions in Appalachia”). This area is considered the most diverse foodshed in North America with a rich food history consisting of many dishes/ingredients that are characteristic of the region (Haskell). For my final project, I chose to research how the availability of local foods in Appalachia has changed over time, and how this has affected the region’s diet.
Southern Appalachian foods are similar to traditional Southern foods, with a few exceptions. Sugarcane, which grows well in most of the South, cannot grow in Appalachia. As a result, traditional Appalachian desserts and sweets are often made with sorghum, honey, or maple syrup instead of cane sugar. A few other common American staple foods, such as rice and seafood, are not often featured in Appalachian recipes, because for a long time these ingredients were quite difficult for people living in the mountains to come by (Tolley-Stokes).
Tradition is extremely important to the identity of many Appalachian people. Traditions surrounding food are perhaps the most important, or maybe just the most fun. As a general rule, and this is even more true in Appalachia, people eat what they ate as children, which is the same food their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents ate. Eating is a social event in much of Appalachia, and large recipes from cookbooks reflect how meals are often eaten in big groups (Farr). Many Appalachian families eat family meals with extended family, and traditional recipes, as well as family specific recipes, get passed from generation to generation. Examples of traditional Appalachian foods include soda, sweet tea, “hoe cake” (fried cornbread), grits, pinto beans, “sweet milk” (whole milk), and fried foods (Gutschall and Thompson).
In the past, Appalachian people have had to find or grow their own food. Because it was so difficult to get outside food into the mountains of Appalachia, gardening, hunting, fishing, and raising animals became vital skills for Appalachian people to have. Today, although 42 percent of Appalachian people live in rural areas, reliance on convenience store food is increasing. As fast food and prepackaged meals become more easily accessible than home-grown produce and homemade meals, the typical Appalachian diet is changing. Although Appalachian diets have been high in meat and saturated fat for some time, several decades ago, fruits and vegetables grown in the garden were much more common than they are today. The trend towards junk food and fast food is not unique to the Appalachian region, but is perhaps more evident there due to economic reasons. Fresh, organic produce and other ingredients are much more expensive than a burger and fries from a fast food joint, not to mention much less convenient. Considering that 18% percent of Appalachian people are living below the poverty line, the price difference between fresh ingredients and fast food is significant for many families (Gutschall and Thompson).
Another reason why the availability of local produce in Appalachia is decreasing is because of a loss in farmland. From 2007–2012, Appalachia lost 858,858 acres, or 2.2 percent, of its farmland. The southern subregion of Appalachia lost more farms during this time period than any other subregion: 6,886 farms were lost, over ten percent of the farms in southern Appalachia. Most of these farms were small farms. The number of farms of every size decreased over this time period, except for the number of farms 1,000 acres or greater, which increased (Jackson et al.). This shows that small family farms are being replaced by large, industrial factory farms. Recently, though, as the trendiness of local food and farmers’ markets increases, fresh and local produce is slowly returning to the Appalachian diet (Haskell).
In the attached document, I have collected a variety of Appalachian recipes. These include entrees, side dishes, and desserts. Some are older, more traditional recipes, and others are more modern, or put a modern twist on a classic favorite. I hope you enjoy this “taste” of Appalachia!
Haskell, Jean. “Assessing the Landscape of Local Food in Appalachia.” Appalachian Regional Commission, 1 May 2012, https://www.arc.gov/assets/research_reports/AssessingLandscapeofLocalFoodinAppalachia.pdf. Overview of local foods in Appalachia, then more detailed information of local foods in the Appalachian region of each state.
Jackson, Charlie, et al. “Agriculture and Food System Trends in the Appalachian Region: 2007–2012.” Appalachian Regional Commission, Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, July 2015, www.arc.gov/assets/research_reports/FoodSystemTrendsReport2015FINAL3.pdf. Historical trends and current data on agriculture in the Appalachian region.
Tolley-Stokes, Rebecca. “Appalachian Home Cooking: History, Culture, & Recipes.” Gastronomica, vol. 7, no. 1, 2007, pp. 118–119. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/gfc.2007.7.1.118.Review of Appalachian Home Cooking: History, Culture, & Recipesby Mark F. Sohn.
Farr, S. S. “Mountain Country Cooking (review).” Appalachian Heritage, vol. 25 no. 2, 1997, pp. 68–70. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/aph.1997.0044.Review of Mountain Country Cookingby Mark F. Sohn.
Gutschall, Melissa, and Kyle Thompson. Rural Appalachian Foodways from Then to Now: Using Traditional Foods to Enhance Dietetic Practice.Summary of report focusing on the nutritional implications of the changing Appalachian diet.
“Subregions in Appalachia.” Appalachian Regional Commission, Nov. 2009, https://www.arc.gov/research/MapsofAppalachia.asp?MAP_ID=31. Map of Appalachian subregions, created by the ARC.
English, Ashley. A Year of Pies: A Seasonal Tour of Home Baked Pies.Lark Crafts, 2012. Source of “Curried Winter Vegetable Pie” recipe.
Meg Reilley Photography, www.megreilley.com/. Source of Winter Vegetable Pie photo.
Sohn, Mark F. Appalachian Home Cooking: History, Culture, and Recipes.The University Press of Kentucky, 2009. Source of Mountain Country Cornbread and Wild Game Stew recipes.
Bauer, Elise. “Cheesy Skillet Cornbread.” Simply Recipes, 24 Dec. 2017, www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/cheesy_skillet_cornbread/. Source of Mountain Country Cornbread photo.
Page, Linda G., and Eliot Wigginton, editors. The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery: Regional Memorabilia and Recipes. The Foxfire Fund, Inc., 1984. Source of Old-Fashioned Vegetable Soup, Lettuce and Onions, and Cranberry Salad with Cottage Cheese recipes.
Sohn, Mark F., and John Egerton. Mountain Country Cooking: A Gathering Of The Best Recipes From the Smokies to the Blue Ridge. St. Martin’s Press, 1996. Source of Dried Apple Stack Cake recipe.
Wiegand, Elizabeth. The New Blue Ridge Cookbook: Authentic Recipes from Virginia’s Highlands to North Carolina’s Mountains. Morris Book Publishing, 2010. Source of Grilled Apple Ginger Trout Fillets, Laurey’s Baked and Fried Chicken, Hasenpfeffer, and Carolina-Style Pulled Pork recipes.
