Southern Belly: The Ultimate Food Lover's Companion to the South

by John T. Edge

In the spirit of Ed Levine's New York Eats and Patricia Wells's Food Lover's Guide to Paris, this is the first-ever guide to the people and places that are institutions in Southern food. Much more than the ordinary guidebook list of every smoke shack from Hattiesburg to Hahira, Southern Belly tells the story behind the food, people, and places that have become Southern legends. Included are more than 200 eateries that run the gamut from chicken shacks, fish camps, and meat 'n' three joints; profiles of civil rights leaders; and veteran barbecue pitmasters. Fully illustrated, this book captures the soul of Southern food culture.

Genres: Food, Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Travel, Southern, Food and Drink, History

Hardcover

First published February 1, 2002

About the author

John T. Edge writes and hosts the Emmy Award–winning television show TrueSouth on the SEC Network, ESPN, Disney, and Hulu. Edge also writes a restaurant column for Garden & Gun. His 2017 book, The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South, was named one of the best books of the year by NPR and Publishers Weekly. Edge serves the University of Mississippi as a teacher, writer-in-residence, and director of the Mississippi Lab. And he serves the University of Georgia as a mentor in their low-residency MFA program in narrative nonfiction. He lives in Oxford, Mississippi, with his wife, the artist Blair Hobbs.

Reviews

[Jeannie Graves · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a cover-to-cover read. This is a book you dip into here and there. And it is pure delight, especially if you are familiar with the culture of Southern foods and John T Edge's other writings. I bought my copy in Oxford, MS, in early February, while visiting my sonm and his family(I live in California). For those who have read the book, I celebrated my 60th birthday with catfish and hush puppies at the Taylor Grocery.

[Graham Oliver · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure I understand the point of this book.

I picked it up originally because I've fallen in love with John T. Edge's work on the Gravy podcast and with Southern Foodways Alliance in general. I learned about him when he was interviewed on Serious Eats' Special Sauce podcast. He is fantastic on the radio, and if he guides their content much, he also has a keen eye for finding stories. If you picked this book up because of the subject matter, I highly highly recommend you go check that out: https://www.southernfoodways.org/grav...

But this book is silly. Each place gets maybe two long paragraphs that are superficial to the point of uselessness and quickly become repetitive. The only potential use I see for it is as a guide for a massive roadtrip through the south, but a) hardly anyone will do that and b) that means the book became outdated maybe two years after it was released.

His voice here is fantastic, it's just not used to do anything meaningful. I don't think this is a book that's meant to be read, but instead one that's meant to be placed on a shelf next to other cleverly titled books about the south, which the owner can then pull out to show the entry for some restaurant nearby or that they visited once. It's a shame, too, because if a book existed that took instead 12-20 of these places and wrote in a similar vein but with more depth I would absolutely love it.

[Arrel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well-informed tour of eateries of the South by someone who knows all about it. Places, people, foods, and more with some nice B/W illustrations and numerous "side-bars" about interesting things, be they eateries, people, food, or something else.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A un book about the food of the American South.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

John T. Edge is a national treasure.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

The subtitle is a serious misnomer. Would have loved more thorough stories about the history of each location (as the book's summary suggested), but was left with half page summaries of a menu. Come on, Mr. Edge!

[Ash Crowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read with more than just restaurant recommendations. The history and the stories of food in each state are as wonderful as the restaurants described.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a quaint type of guide book covering canonical territory. It does include a few surprises, though. I have added "slaw burger" to my Tennessee eating list.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book goes on every road trip with my family.

[Jen Huber · Rating 1 out of 5]

Definitely not what I was expecting. Just short write-ups on restaurants and foodies from around the South. I'll stick to Southern Living if I want that, thanks.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a Road Food of the South than anything else. I intend to keep it in my husbands car as we travel the South for his job.

[eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short pieces about a host of different restaurants (etc.) across the south. Well-written, with a knack for turning what could be tired anecdotes, into lively/colorful stories.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the 2012, fully updated version. This is a fun book and one I will consult as a restaurant guide before traveling in the south.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

a must-read!

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read.