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

by John T. Edge, Algonquin Books, 352 pp., $14.95

I have yet to visit the American South in person, but after reading John T. Edge’s updated and expanded edition of Southern Belly, I am now literally salivating to take a road trip. Part travel guide, part history lesson, the book takes the reader on a mouthwatering expedition of Edge’s beloved Southern food institutions. It includes historical pictures, whimsical drawings and maps, a few tried-and-true recipes, and a selection of recommended establishments that serve what Edge calls “honest food,” from back-door home kitchens to cinder-block cafes, chicken shacks, fish camps, barbecue stands, and everything in between.

Edge, who has been dubbed by The Miami Herald “the Faulkner of Southern food,” passionately recounts the stories behind the unsung heroes of the Southern kitchens, while poignantly reminding us of the painful days of segregation and the history-making efforts of those who fervently opposed it. In his inimitable laid-back, witty style, Edge travels the back roads from his home state of Mississippi to Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, and even Texas, relishing places that serve local specialties found nowhere else (Kool-Aid-flavored pickles, for instance).

With a brief stop in Austin to laud the virtues of the chicken-fried steak at Threadgill’s and the Broken Spoke and the wonders of the Frisco, he moves on to other nearby food cathedrals such as Southside Market in Elgin, Kreuz and Smitty’s in Lockhart, the Taylor Cafe, and San Antonio’s iconic Mi Tierra, before continuing on to Louisiana, Tennessee, and Florida. Open the book randomly, on any page, and enjoy the ride.

This article appears in December 28 • 2007.

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Mexico City native Claudia Alarcón has made Austin home since 1984. She worked her way through college in the local restaurant industry, graduating from the University of Texas in 1999. She has been a Chronicle contributor for 15 years and presents lectures and workshops on topics related to the foodways of Mexico, both locally and internationally.