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A Culinary Tour Through Alabama History (American Palate) Kindle Edition

• Part of series American Palate
• Print length 147 pages
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• Publisher The History Press
• Publication date October 4, 2021
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• #644 in American South Cooking
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A Culinary Tour Through Alabama History

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Monica Tapper is a historian from Alabama. She holds a master's degree in history with a concentration in public history. She is interested in the intersection where food and history meet.

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A Culinary Tour Through Alabama History (American Palate) Kindle Edition

• Part of series American Palate
• Print length 147 pages
• Language English
• Sticky notes On Kindle Scribe
• Publisher The History Press
• Publication date Oct. 4 2021
• File size 11584 KB
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• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 11584 KB
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• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 147 pages
• #343 in U.S. Regional Southern Cooking
• #384 in South United States History eBooks
• #780 in American South Food

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A Culinary Tour Through Alabama History (American Palate)

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Learning Alabama history is a piece of cake: New book takes readers on a culinary tour

This story is part of the Montgomery Advertiser's Black History Month series running throughout February. For more Black History Month stories, including digital-only features, visit montgomeryadvertiser.com.

The laughs, the smiles, the sounds of people chatting and plates clattering. Imagine what the 1950s must have been like inside Georgia Gilmore's Montgomery home as she fed civil rights leaders and foot soldiers, and helped fund the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Along with the regular offerings from the kitchen of "Big Mama" was a rich, dreamy pound cake that even Martin Luther King Jr. enjoyed.

Now you can too.

"I love the fact that you and I can eat what they ate," said Monica Tapper, author of the new book "A Culinary Tour Through Alabama History."

Tapper will be signing copies of the book on Feb. 3, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in Montgomery at the Alabama Tourism Department Gift Shop inside the Alabama Center for Commerce, 401 Adams Ave.

More about Georgia Gilmore: Plenty with little and most without a lot: Lessons from Georgia Gilmore

Though Gilmore's pound cake recipe is among several included, this not a cookbook. Tapper said she wouldn't feel right calling it that, since she doesn't cook. Tapper had a friend to help her go through the recipes and prepare several dishes from Alabama's past.

"This is about the history through the food," said Tapper, who described her work as a travel book. "This is a way for you to get out and see the state"

For instance, fruity jars of sweetmeats — something akin to jelly or jam, but with a taste and texture all its own — were a favorite Alabama's first lady Sarah Gayle in 1832, and of Tapper today.

"I thoroughly enjoyed that," Tapper said.

Some other recipes weren't to Tapper's taste, especially coffee made from okra seeds. This became a thing during the Civil War, when coffee drinkers suddenly found themselves with no actual coffee. Tapper said they tried a variety of locally sourced ways to try to make it.

"Okra coffee was by far the most foul thing I've ever had in my life," said Tapper. While it smells like regular coffee, the okra version is very bitter. "I do not recommend it."

Tapper's also not a fan of hominy (dried corn kernels treated with alkali), and said she and her friend didn't even try cooking possum.

"Everything else, I thought turned out pretty well," she said.

Tapper also sought out historical structures where people could still eat today, but that weren't built as restaurants. She and her friends traveled to sites across the state, though that became limited by pandemic conditions.

One place she highlights is Gaines Ridge Dinner Club in Camden, an 1820s home that she's frequently asked about. Tapper also highlights Prattville's Smith-Byrd House from the mid-1800s, where people can still enjoy afternoon tea. St. James Hotel Selma, built in 1837 and known as a hideout for outlaw Jesse James, also made the list.

"You can sit in the same historic place as people who came before us, and you can eat what they ate," Tapper said.

The book came about after two years from a mixture of research from the Civil War and food research for her work at the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion in Mobile.

"Between those two projects, the book kind of formed," said Tapper, who said it stretches from her hometown of Mobile to north Alabama's Tuscumbia.

The Civil Rights chapter in which Gilmore is featured broke away from Tapper's "no restaurant" rule to include Brenda's Bar-B-Que Pit on Mobile Road and Chris' Hot Dogs on Dexter Avenue. It also goes into the history of Lannie's Bar-B-Que Spot in Selma.

So even with the recipes, can we match flavors today with what Alabamians ate many decades ago? Not exactly, but Tapper said it's as close as we're going to get.

From our archives: Recipe for success: 100 years of Chris' Hot Dogs

"Our food is different," Tapper said. "Our food comes from the grocery store. It doesn't come from the backyard or the back 40. Our food is not as fresh, not as flavorful, and we're not cooking over wood."

This story is being offered free to readers throughout February in honor of Black History Month. Your subscription makes our exclusive content possible. Please support local news at https://cm.montgomeryadvertiser.com/specialoffer

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: New culinary tour book makes learning Alabama history a piece of cake

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Alabama Foodways

In Alabama, for example, Lane cake speaks to Alabama women’s roles in the Progressive Era . Banana pudding signifies the banana docks in Mobile , crucial to the local economy for 50 years. Peanuts reveal a long history of African American heritage in the state, as well as the individual stories of George Washington Carver , the boll weevil , and the Wiregrass . Sweet potato pie symbolizes civil rights and soul food in Montgomery , and gumbo reflects Creole culture on the Gulf Coast. Immigrant communities—including Greeks, Southeast Asians, Koreans, and Latinos—also have shaped Alabama food culture in unique ways.

Native American and Frontier Influences

Alabama saw its greatest influx of settlers from 1810 to 1830, when large numbers of migrants seeking land flooded into present-day Alabama from Tennessee, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia during the period known as “ Alabama Fever .” Many of these pioneers were Scots-Irish immigrants who had come to America in great numbers between 1710 and 1775. They brought with them European food traditions adapted to American foodstuffs, Native American techniques, and local growing conditions.

Virtually every pioneer’s first task was to clear enough land to plant a crop of corn, which gave a high yield that allowed pioneer families to survive on just a few acres of land. In fact, corn was planted on at least half of every Alabama farm’s acreage, providing basic sustenance for families and livestock. Consumed in some form at nearly every meal, corn also provided a foundation for beer and whiskey, a batter to fry fish , a starch, and a sweetener. And corn’s utility extended beyond the table: its silks, husks, stalks and cobs served a range of household purposes. By 1849, the South had 18 million acres planted in corn, compared to 5 million in cotton . And southerners continued to depend on corn as the most significant component of their diet until the 1940s.

Meat was rarely consumed in large quantities. Until the Civil War, much of Alabama remained a frontier in which domestic animals played a small role. Hogs, present in Alabama since colonial days, foraged through the woods at will and were captured and killed at the start of winter, making pork the main meat component of the Alabama diet. Barbecue (the slow roasting of meat over a low fire) claims a long history in Alabama as the centerpiece of frontier gatherings, community fundraisers, and modern social events. In Alabama, barbecue is synonymous with pork.

African Influences

Dishes created by African American cooks were consumed by black and white southerners alike. By the mid-nineteenth century, the most influential and popular American cookbooks all contained recipes featuring African ingredients, including okra, field peas, eggplant, greens, cayenne pepper, sesame seeds, and peanuts. The cookbooks also noted African food pairings and cooking techniques, including combining beans and rice and heavily spicing soups.

The Alabama Diet

Alabamians, both black and white, ate what they could grow, find wild, or acquire through purchase or trade. Despite popular images of endless cotton plantations, until World War II most Alabama families lived on subsistence farms where they spent most of their hours planting, harvesting, and processing foods consumed at home. Enslaved Alabamians often grew vegetables on small patches of land to augment their meager diets, and most emancipated blacks remaining in Alabama continued to live by subsistence farming.

As the frontier transformed into permanent farms and townships, cows and goats were increasingly kept for milk and chickens for eggs. Farmers continued to obtain honey from bees and syrup from sugar cane or sorghum. Desserts were based on wild fruits: peaches , apples, pears, figs, strawberries, and blackberries that were also canned, dried, or preserved. Cobblers were popular, made from fruit and simple ingredients, as were white cakes, custards, and cookies. Homemade peanut brittle and popcorn balls were holiday favorites.

Despite its current ubiquity, fried chicken was long considered a luxury in Alabama. Until the mid-twentieth century, farmers maintained flocks of chickens mainly for their eggs, a source of year-round nourishment and supplementary income. Most chickens were killed only when they were too old to produce eggs and usually were put into stews, as only a long, slow simmer could make the meat tender. Because tasty fried chicken demands a young bird, it was a delicacy reserved for Sunday dinners and special occasions. At mid-century, when the poultry industry morphed into a large agribusiness, chickens became more affordable, and fried chicken became daily fare in Alabama.

Women were largely responsible for processing, preserving, and cooking farm foods. Because baking fell squarely into their domain, women often built their cooking reputations around desserts, which still comprise half of any Alabama community meal today, including church picnics, family reunions, decoration days, and funeral gatherings. At the end of the nineteenth century, thanks to the new, widespread availability of white flour and the invention of baking powder, cake making took on a particular fervor in the South. Women created a number of extravagant cakes at this time, including the Lane cake, invented in Clayton , Barbour County .

In the rural existence that dominated Alabama life, food-centered gatherings provided a vital social outlet. Cane grindings, chicken stews, and peanut boils became major fellowship opportunities for rural communities. Over time, these rural food-centered gatherings grew into traditions emblematic of Alabama identity, so that even when Alabamians moved to urban and suburban places, they still gathered for fish fries.

The End of Subsistence Farming

When small farming plummeted in Alabama, big agriculture rose to take its place. Today, agriculture remains an important industry for the state. In 2017, the top five commodities in Alabama were poultry, cattle, chicken eggs, cotton, and soybeans. Together, they brought in $4.9 billion of revenue. Alabama also has significant production in greenhouse , sod, and nursery products, grains, catfish , peanuts, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and pecans. Together, agriculture, forestry , and related industries have a $70.4 billion economic impact on Alabama and provide more than 580,000 jobs.

Preserving the Traditions

Additional Resources

Blejwas, Emily. The Truth of the Radish: Fourteen Foods Tell the Story of Alabama . Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2014.

Edge, John T., ed. The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture: Foodways . Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of North Carolina Press, 2007.

Fowler, Damon Lee. Classical Southern Cooking . New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1995.

Hardeman, Nicholas. Shucks, Shocks, and Hominy Blocks: Corn as a Way of Life in Pioneer America . Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1981.

Harris, Jessica. High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America . New York: Bloomsbury USA, 2011.

Rogers, William Warren, Robert David Ward, Leah Rawls Atkins, and Wayne Flynt, eds. Alabama: The History of a Deep South State . Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1994.

Tapper, Monica. A Culinary Tour Through Alabama History . Charleston, S.C.: The History Press, 2021.

Wright, Lolla W. “Alabama Appetites.” Alabama Review 17 (January 1964): 22-32.

External Links

• American Public Media: The Alabama Project

Emily Blejwas Auburn University

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With a culinary tour through alabama history near you..

Greenville food hall, food tour voted among best in the nation. Here's why they rank high.

USA TODAY has announced two Greenville winners for the USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards.

Gather GVL and Greenville's History & Culinary tours placed in the top 10 for each of their respective categories.

Following last year's win, Gather GVL was recognized as one of the best food halls in the nation, moving up a spot in the list. Although Greenville's tours dropped down a few places from last year's ranking, it still managed to luck out when it comes to being one of the country's best food tours.

Here's what to know about this year's 10 Best winners.

Gather GVL ranks No. 5 for Best Food Hall

No matter what your taste, this Greenville melting pot has all the flavors, from fried chicken and classic smash burgers to sushi and hibachi. At Gather GVL , guests watch with growling stomachs as chefs serve up dishes from a colorful collection of shipping containers. When food is ready, guests settle down at long tables where they dine with family and friends, kicking back and relaxing. If you sit on the second floor, you can enjoy views of downtown, whether rain or shine. Locals with furry friends will be glad to know their pets are welcome to the ground floor, where they, too, can join in on the fun. In 2023, USA TODAY placed the food hall at No. 6 for best food in the nation.

What other food halls made the list?

∎ No. 1: Mother Road Market, Tulsa, Oklahoma

∎ No. 2: The Garage Food Hall, Indianapolis, Indiana

∎ No. 3: Budd Dairy Food Hall, Columbus, Ohio

∎ No. 4: The Market at Malcolm Yards, Minneapolis, Minnesota

∎ No. 5: Gather GVL, Greenville, South Carolina

∎ No. 6: City Foundry STL, St. Louis, Missouri

∎ No. 7: Federal Galley, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

∎ No. 8: Food Hall at Bottling Department, San Antonio, Texas

∎ No. 9: Time Out Market Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

∎ No. 10: Chelsea Market, New York City, New York

Greenville History & Culinary Tours voted No. 8 for Best Food Tour

For over a decade, Greenville's History and Culinary tours has drawn 40,000 guests to the city. On the history tours, guests are guided through historic buildings and homes, public artwork displays, restaurants, and shops. Foodies on the culinary tours will have opportunities to visit kitchens and sample food offerings while "At the Chef's Table." USA TODAY recommends trying the BBQ Trail Tour or visiting the countryside, where you will be escorted to a movable farm-fresh feast. Last year, the tours placed at No. 3 for best food tour by USA TODAY.

What other food tours made the list?

∎ No. 1: Columbus Food Adventures, Columbus, Ohio

∎ No. 2: Taste Buzz Food Tours, Las Vegas, Nevada

∎ No. 3: Six Taste, Los Angeles, California

∎ No. 4: Savor Seattle Food Tours, Seattle, Washington

∎ No. 5: Bienville Bites Food Tour, Mobile, Alabama

∎ No. 6: Doctor Gumbo Tours, New Orleans, Louisiana

∎ No. 7: Mangia DC Food Tours, Washington, D.C.

∎ No. 8: Greenville History & Culinary Tours, Greenville, South Carolina

∎ No. 9: Maine Day Ventures, Portland, Maine

∎ No. 10: Bobby's Bike Hike Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

Nina Tran covers trending topics. Reach her via email at [email protected]