Cornbread Nation 1

“Southern food is legendary stuff, but Southern food writing may be even better, at least as exampled in these pages. Evocative, to be sure, but also perceptive, wise, funny, and, at times, ruefully honest — these essays remind us again that Southern cooking is as much about place and personality as it is about food, and how little value there is in the one without the others. The sum is a rich and rewarding colloquy that gives a fresh spin to that old slogan, put some South in your mouth.” — John Thorne, author of Serious Pig and Pot on the Fire

“All my life I've been looking for my definition as a Southerner, as a North Carolinian. Little did I know it was livermush! Seek your definition in this wonderful assembly of reminiscences, recollections, and tall tales served up hot and spicy with ice-cold sweet tea.” — Ben Barker, coauthor of Not Afraid of Flavor: Recipes from Magnolia Grill

“For this Northerner, Cornbread Nation is almost as good as months of roaming back roads and long talks over kitchen tables all over the South. Maybe it’s better, since this book takes me inside the South I shall never plumb alone. It lives on my bedside table. Thank you, John Egerton.” — Lynne Rossetto Kasper, host of public radio’s The Splendid Table

“My favorite writers — and that goes for food writers, too — have always been Southern. They're all in Cornbread Nation — Roy Blount Jr., Rick Bragg, Fred Chappell, John T. Edge, John Egerton, Ronnie Lundy, Jim Villas, and too many to name. . . . Truly, there’s just something about the South, its breezy characters, its off-the-edge eateries, and yes, its barbecue and batter bread. Cornbread Nation puts them all between two covers, and I don’t know when I've enjoyed a book more.” — Jean Anderson, author of The American Century Cookbook

“This enjoyable collection of essays, short stories, articles, and poems combines some of the best recent writing on Southern food. . . . The book beautifully describes how food has shaped Southern, as well as American, culture. . . . Cornbread Nation 1 will appeal to everyone who has ever experienced a love affair with Southern food.” — Southern Living

“A beguiling mix of food lore, encounters with memorable characters, and, of course, the place itself, from swampy bayous to the rolling hills of Appalachia.” — Kirkus Reviews

“These essays dwell on fascinating minutiae, such as distinctions among various greens from different parts of the South. . . . Regional collections will want to add each volume of the series when published.” — Booklist

“Those who love the South and/or want an evocative portrait of it will find depth, and a side of frivolity, in Cornbread Nation 1. Sign me up for 2.” — Charlotte Observer

“Funny, perceptive, and wise, often a touch odd, these evocative writings are a paean to the vanishing South. . . . Provides a soulful, enlightening window on the terroir of Southern cuisine. . . . Even readers north of the Mason-Dixon Line will want to pull up a chair to the convivial Southern table.” — BookPage

“A tasty collection. Don’t read it on an empty stomach.” — Library Journal