From a James Beard Award-winning author, an updated and expanded guide to some of the South's best restaurants, plus history and recipes.John T. Edge, "the Faulkner of Southern food" (theMiami Herald), reveals a South hidden in plain sight, where restaurants boast family pedigrees and serve supremely local specialties found nowhere else. From backdoor home kitchens to cinder-block cafés, he introduces you to cooks who have been standing tall by the stove since Eisenhower was in office. While revealing the stories behind their food, he shines a bright light on places that have become Southern institutions.In this fully updated and expanded edition, with recipes throughout, Edge travels from chicken shack to fish camp, from barbecue stand to pie shed. Pop this handy paperback in the glove box to take along on your next road trip. And even if you never get in the car, you'll enjoy the most savory history that the South has to offer.Praise for Southern Belly"The soul of the region's food ... Well seasoned with history, anecdote, opinion, and wit." -Jessica B. Harris, American culinary historian"A mosaic portrait of Southern food culture." -Chicago Sun-Times

Contentsxi Introduction: An Appetite for Context1 Alabama 31 Arkansas51 (North) Florida75 Georgia105 Kentucky 127 Louisiana163 Mississipi191 North Carolina219 South Carolina243 Tennessee271 (East) Texas295 Virginia 317 Thanks321 Photograph Credits327 Places