Eating, Drinking, and Visiting in the South

By Joe Gray Taylor,

Book cover of Eating, Drinking, and Visiting in the South: An Informal History

Book description

A lively, informal history of over three centuries of southern hospitality and cuisine, Eating, Drinking, and Visiting in the South traces regional gastronomy from the sparse diet of Jamestown settlers, who learned from necessity to eat what the Indians ate, to the lavish corporate cocktail parties of the New South.…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

2 authors picked Eating, Drinking, and Visiting in the South as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

My grandfather hunted squirrels to put in the stew pot, raised turnips and mustard greens, and shared all that he had with family and neighbors. Joe Gray Taylor’s book takes us back to the beginnings of the cuisine and hospitality of the American South where folks made the most of the natural environment and its riches. This book also describes the way people “visited” in the South, sometimes staying with relatives or friends for weeks or months on end, the hosts accepting them naturally, adding places at the table. Taylor covers Southern hospitality from the days of the frontier through…

In 1982 “culinary studies” had yet to be invented, but that year Joe Gray Taylor, known primarily as a historian of Louisiana, published this spritely history, looking at what Southern people have eaten, from the meager diet of aboriginal Indians to instant grits and canned biscuits, with all the good and bad stuff in between, taking appropriate note of how diet has reflected race and class differences. Taylor packed his book with memorable detail: for instance, I will not soon forget that ground okra seeds served for coffee in the blockaded Confederacy. When the book was reprinted in 2008, John…

Want books like Eating, Drinking, and Visiting in the South?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Eating, Drinking, and Visiting in the South.

Browse books like Eating, Drinking, and Visiting in the South

Book cover of Women's Life and Work in the Southern Colonies
Book cover of Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation
Book cover of Culture Of Honor: The Psychology Of Violence In The South

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,388

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in drinking culture, the South, and eating?

Drinking Culture 12 books
The South 189 books
Eating 17 books