Appalachia on the Table: Representing Mountain Food and People

by Erica Abrams Locklear

When her mother passed along a cookbook made and assembled by her grandmother, Erica Abrams Locklear thought she knew what to expect. But rather than finding a homemade cookbook full of apple stack cake, leather britches, pickled watermelon, or other “traditional” mountain recipes, Locklear discovered recipes for devil’s food cake with coconut icing, grape catsup, and fig pickles. Some recipes even relied on food products like Bisquick, Swans Down flour, and Calumet baking powder. Where, Locklear wondered, did her Appalachian food script come from? And what implicit judgments had she made about her grandmother based on the foods she imagined she would have been interested in cooking?

Appalachia on the Table argues, in part, that since the conception of Appalachia as a distinctly different region from the rest of the South and the United States, the foods associated with the region and its people have often been used to socially categorize and stigmatize mountain people. Rather than investigate the actual foods consumed in Appalachia, Locklear instead focuses on the representations of foods consumed, implied moral judgments about those foods, and how those judgments shape reader perceptions of those depicted. The question at the core of Locklear’s analysis asks, How did the dominant culinary narrative of the region come into existence and what consequences has that narrative had for people in the mountains?

Genres: Food, History, Nonfiction, Cookbooks, Sociology, Research

242 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 15, 2023

Reviews

[Susan Kendrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty academic, which I should have expected. Mildly interesting.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the best holds request oops ever. I saw this book come through Wowbrary* and immediately hit "Place Hold." I was super excited to try some great Applachian food. Y'all: this is not a cookbook. Oops! But it was still so very good. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about this unique geographic region so near my home. Erica Abrams Locklear arranges her book chronologically, going back to first references to Appalachia as a unique place unto itself and continuing up through the contemporary celebrations of these foodways. She does an excellent job celebrating the people and places in an authentic way. I loved it.

*Wowbrary is a really neat service that lots of libraries offer. You should ask your local librarians if your library participates! You get an email every Wednesday that tells you allll the shiny new books coming to your library. It can let you get a jump on the holds list. ;)

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very academic.

Made me think about where the intersection between the resurgence of interest specifically in Appalachian foods and just generally “eating local” is. Michael Pollan introduced me to the latter in the mid-aughts.

[Mark Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a truly useful and beautiful book that reminds us to be careful about how we denigrate / romanticize the food people eat.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

First academic writing I've read in a long time, so a little hard going. Very interesting, and I've got real food for thought, and some authors I know want to read.

[Amanda Opelt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been one of my favorite books of the year. The topic is niche and the writing a bit academic, but it is engaging and flows well. Highly recommend.

[Karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent narrative about the history and diversity of Appalachian food. Very detailed and heavy. The references at the back are an excellent companion to learn more.