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Cornbread Nation Series #2
Cornbread Nation 2: The United States of Barbecue
Southern barbecue and barbecue traditions are the primary focus of "Cornbread Nation 2," the second collection in the series of the best of Southern food writing. Among the contributors are John Martin Taylor, Eddie Dean, Calvin Trillin, and Marcie Cohen Ferris. 16 illustrations.
312 pages, Paperback
First published October 15, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 20, 2026
BARBECUE! It is a subject that I care very much about! You may remember that a while back I read “Holy Smokes”, a book about North Carolina-style barbecue, and it was very good. Well, ever since then, I’ve sort of been hoping to stumble upon another book chronicling the history of barbecue and its role in culture. And at last, I have found one!
Kind of.
Alright, the “Cornbread Nation” books appear to be about southern food and how that relates to southern culture, with the second one about barbecue. But this isn’t so much one author talking about the subject, as a collection of articles, essays, and poems related to barbecue. And then we split off into entries that are just vaguely about southern food and culture, like the origin of Ruth’s Chris Steak House or a waiter in Louisiana that got fired and how the community reacted. These are not (all) uninteresting things! But they’re not all barbecue related.
The things that are barbecue related tended to be interesting; there are a couple of essays on race, and how despite the origins of barbecue are likely African-American and indigenous, for the longest time those were communities excluded from the wider conversation. We have ALL of the shade thrown at Maurice Bessinger, of Maurice’s Barbecue, for his racist attitude (and also his barbecue sux), but we also bring up how for the longest time, Texas barbecue aficionados insisted that the state’s barbecue tradition is derived from German and Czech descent.
‘Barbecue’ is not a German word, guys!
This book came out in the very early 2000s, and it shows at times–the discussion of the waiter Gilberto Eyzaguirre, who was fired over claims of sexual harassment, while presents all the facts as the author was able to obtain, feels like it should have gone very differently reading it now, after the Me Too movement–though sadly, I don’t know that the result would have been much different. Related to Maurice’s, there’s also mention of how the Confederate flag was moved off of the SC Capitol Building, though it remained on the grounds (which isn’t mentioned at all). The fact that people could appear at barbecue conventions with Confederate flags at all is definitely described in a way that’s disapproving, but these days I’d think that a journalist talking about that would use outright condemnation.
This was not the awesome volume on barbecue that I was hoping it would be; however, it does have a lot of good material in it, and I certainly think it’s a pretty good place to get some information on both barbecue and the culture around it in the US.
Kind of.
Alright, the “Cornbread Nation” books appear to be about southern food and how that relates to southern culture, with the second one about barbecue. But this isn’t so much one author talking about the subject, as a collection of articles, essays, and poems related to barbecue. And then we split off into entries that are just vaguely about southern food and culture, like the origin of Ruth’s Chris Steak House or a waiter in Louisiana that got fired and how the community reacted. These are not (all) uninteresting things! But they’re not all barbecue related.
The things that are barbecue related tended to be interesting; there are a couple of essays on race, and how despite the origins of barbecue are likely African-American and indigenous, for the longest time those were communities excluded from the wider conversation. We have ALL of the shade thrown at Maurice Bessinger, of Maurice’s Barbecue, for his racist attitude (and also his barbecue sux), but we also bring up how for the longest time, Texas barbecue aficionados insisted that the state’s barbecue tradition is derived from German and Czech descent.
‘Barbecue’ is not a German word, guys!
This book came out in the very early 2000s, and it shows at times–the discussion of the waiter Gilberto Eyzaguirre, who was fired over claims of sexual harassment, while presents all the facts as the author was able to obtain, feels like it should have gone very differently reading it now, after the Me Too movement–though sadly, I don’t know that the result would have been much different. Related to Maurice’s, there’s also mention of how the Confederate flag was moved off of the SC Capitol Building, though it remained on the grounds (which isn’t mentioned at all). The fact that people could appear at barbecue conventions with Confederate flags at all is definitely described in a way that’s disapproving, but these days I’d think that a journalist talking about that would use outright condemnation.
This was not the awesome volume on barbecue that I was hoping it would be; however, it does have a lot of good material in it, and I certainly think it’s a pretty good place to get some information on both barbecue and the culture around it in the US.
March 14, 2023
Obviously, in a book of essays and poems some of the offerings resonate with you, and some don't. Overall, great book. Glad I read it.
The editor is a native of New Orleans, and while New Orleans is not known for BBQ, the stories were still good. ;P
The beginning - a poem called The Land of Barbacoa I loved, loved, loved.
The editor is a native of New Orleans, and while New Orleans is not known for BBQ, the stories were still good. ;P
The beginning - a poem called The Land of Barbacoa I loved, loved, loved.
February 5, 2016
Every page was a delight. Focuses on essays about barbecue in this issue -- there are 4 other "Cornbread Nation" books so far -- but ranges remarkably far within that subject, describing the way Jews in Memphis have found ways to accomodate the kosher laws without being excluded from the heart of Southern cuisine, pit barbecue vs. doing the job above ground, the possibilities in side dishes, whether real barbecue can even be found in California, and George Washington's barbecue dining experiences. There is also a lovely piece about Mullet, another about scuppernongs, and one about the history of the Viking cooking range. There is even one about eating clay.
August 7, 2008
Obligatory reading for anyone who's a food geek, especially if you are a barbecue wonk. If you've spent a whole day (or night) cooking a 10 pound pork shoulder or obsessed about which combination of 15 spices will taste best on a chicken thigh (and really, who hasn't?) then this book is for you.
About 3/4th of the book is dedicated to barbecue - the rest is dedicated to southern cooking and food, including a chapter on a geophagy, something I never heard of... the eating of dirt. Who knew that mudpies were a nutritional staple in some parts of the world!!??
About 3/4th of the book is dedicated to barbecue - the rest is dedicated to southern cooking and food, including a chapter on a geophagy, something I never heard of... the eating of dirt. Who knew that mudpies were a nutritional staple in some parts of the world!!??
October 27, 2009
The SFA does it again: this barbecue-themed compilation is endlessly fascinating. I read it just in time for the pig pickin', and loved having so many rich stories surround the experience. I'll never tire of SFA's breaking-down of food into the cultural, the social, the historical, and the political, and am eyeing the SFA symposium next year in a big way.
January 22, 2012
This is a collection of great southern food writing, both recent and historical, with an emphasis on barbecue. It deals with the meanings and purposes of barbecue and how these intertwine with issues of race, southern identity, meat, politics, family, religion. I'm definitely interested in checking out some of the other volumes; I believe that they're up to vol. 4 or 5 by now.
May 7, 2009
The book's subtitle says it's about BBQ, but the full second half of the book has nary a mention.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews