May 8, 2011

An excerpt from An Irresistible History of Southern Food by Rick McDaniel. Ask any Southerner to picture in their mind a lazy summer day, and chances are that vision will include a porch, a rocking chair and a glass of iced tea. So how did a drink made from a plant that grows on the Continue reading →

April 29, 2011

An excerpt from An Irresistible History of Southern Food by Rick McDaniel. Any Southerner will tell you that the miracle of the loaves and fishes was the only churchsupper in history that didn’t include fried chicken. For those of us who grew up in the post–World War II South, chicken was a pretty regularpart of Continue reading →

April 22, 2011

Barbecue is one of the South’s most beloved foods and has long played an important role in the foodways of the region.

As much as we Southerners love our country ham, tenderloin biscuits and smothered pork chops, we will run over them all to get to a plate of barbecue. It is a subject that is guaranteed to get two people from different parts of the South into a spirited discussion ending in either a lifelong friendship or a fistfight.

April 15, 2011

An Irresistible History of Southern Food is the first book by Southern food historian, chef and author Rick McDaniel. The book examines how European, Native American and African influences, foods and cooking techniques combined to form the unique blend that is Southern cooking. From the earliest interactions between Spanish explorers and Native Americans to the Continue reading →

November 5, 2008

Rick McDaniel is a food historian, chef and author who specializes in Southern food. A working journalist for more than 30 years, he is a Senior Contributing Writer for the Asheville Citizen-Times and writes for several regional magazines. He also wrote a weekly syndicated column on Southern cooking for eight years. McDaniel learned his love Continue reading →