Food+Drink
Featured
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Makins From Maters
Along with corn, most consider tomatoes, usually just called “maters” in traditional mountain vernacular, the quintessence of foodstuffs from mountain gardens. Tomatoes are so versatile, so tasty, and come in so many varieties they are irresistible. Read more
The Bounty of Blackberries
Some of my fondest childhood memories center on countless days spent plucking the fruits of the good Earth. Foremost among these was picking what is far and away the best known of the wild brambles, the luscious and pretty much ubiquitous blackberry. Read more
Jun 1, 2020
Photo courtesy Mercier Orchards • mercier-orchards.com
Fried Pies
I’ve always held you can tell mountain southerners from all other southerners by the kind of fried pie they prefer. Read more
Apr 1, 2020
Stone Soup
One of the finest stories in folklore concerns a wandering minstrel who comes to a strange town with nothing but an empty belly, empty cauldron, and a clean and well-worn stone. Read more
Feb 1, 2020
Holiday Fruit has Deep Roots
“Back during the Depression we saw an orange about once a year,” recalled Chet Atkins. That once a year was likely to be Christmas time, and that orange was such a rarity it most often ended up as a gift tucked in the toe of a stocking. Read more
Dec 1, 2019
Bruce Ingram photo
Comfort Food Pakalachian Style
What do you get when an ethnic Pakistani man runs into a young Appalachian woman on a crowded college town street? Read more
Dec 1, 2019
Choking Your Biscuit Out Just Right
Dwight Yoakam’s grandmother kept her bacon grease in a small brown ceramic pitcher. She kept her flour, already sifted, in a big green porcelain pan that, when she wasn’t using it, sat in the bottom of an old, wooden Hoosier cabinet in her kitchen. Read more
Oct 1, 2019
Good Food Equals Love and Strength
Food has a way of taking the sting out of tragic events and helping the community bond in love and strength. That’s what happened after deadly fires spread through Gatlinburg in November, 2016. Read more
Oct 1, 2019
Summer’s End Means Sorghum
As cool air slowly creeps in and the leaves begin to change, it can only mean one thing—it’s sorghum making time in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Read more
Oct 1, 2019
