By Kit Cottrell

Biscuits and gravy for breakfast; beans and cornbread for lunch; all topped off with sweet potato pie for dessert.  This scrumptious menu may serve to conjure up images of dinner at grandma’s house, dining at the local country kitchen, or dishing out some delicious southern delights at moms house, but it’s actually the ingredients that made up “Appalachian Foodways”, a short-term class taught by Natalie Moretz, Instructor; Child and Family Studies, that explored the food history of the Appalachian region. 

The goals of the class were to aid students in understanding the ethnic diversity of the Appalachian region, encompassing a broad range of issues such as food origins, patterns, production, and preservation, as well as how to distinguish between Southern and Appalachian foodways.  So, what is the difference between Southern and Appalachian food production?  According to Moretz, “Appalachia is mountainous terrain and land-locked, whereas in the Southern coastal states you have access to seafood”, which demonstrates the rich diversity of foods found in the Appalachian region from spicy gumbo swimming with shellfish to hearty burgoo brimming with pork, beef, and chicken. 

Geographical location largely determined the ingredients that went into the pot; however migration was another influential factor in the region.  Moretz states, “Once the coastal regions were full, people migrated to the mountains, bringing food and cultural diversity with them; including, but not limited to the Cherokee, African-Americans, British, Irish, Scots, Jewish, Welsh, Italian, German, and the Dutch.”  This influx of ethnic groups created a cuisine rich in heritage and tradition.

Appalachian foodways underwent dramatic changes as time passed.  Seasonal eating was no longer the rule as people “were able to preserve with crockery, dry storage, and canning.”  Of course, the appearance of technology in the form of iceboxes, freezers, and convection ovens dramatically changed regional eating habits, as well as methods of preparation.  Progress also involved clear-cutting the forests for lumber, as well as mining coal for a nation converting to electricity.  These alterations to the environment “changed animals patterns, landscapes; wheat crops could not grow, coal adversely affected apple orchards, the source of apple sauce, apple-butter, and other staples.”

 When queried about the future of Appalachian food production, Moretz remarked, “The optimist in me would like to think that it will come back full circle to tradition, but the pessimist in me thinks greed will win out and companies will take what they want, but traditions will still live on written down”.

As to the most important lesson Moretz hopes students will retain, “To understand that Appalachian foodways does not just directly translate to mountain cooking—there is such a rich variety of cultural backgrounds that we now identify as Appalachian and mountain cooking”.  Appalachia has always been abundant in diversity, nourishing the traditions and customs of numerous ethnic groups.  This bountiful blend has combined to infuse the region with an appetizing array of food practices and production.  In the future when you pass the gravy, remember; you are also passing along the heritage of Appalachia.