“Corn and Tomatoes” – An Edible History Project Examining Their Historical Role in Southern Foodways
Disciplines
American Studies
Abstract (300 words maximum)
This research was conducted as part of an edible history project for a graduate study of movements in American culture, particularly southern food in American history. As such, the culminating activity has produced this essay, which provides an explanation for how tomatoes and corn became an intrinsic part of the foodways of the American South. It briefly describes the history of these two ancient vegetables and their journey from South America (tomato) and Mexico (corn) as they made their way first into Southern gardens, then kitchens, and finally its culture. Identifying various specific historical examples such as the tomato clubs started in South Carolina that used the canning of tomatoes to transform social hierarchies at a grassroots level and which ignited rural girl’s entrepreneurial spirits, it shows how fully these two vegetables have become part of the cultural fabric of Southern food history. Exploring festivals and regional specialties where tomatoes and corn reign supreme, this research demonstrates how the various Southern areas (Old South, Coastal/Low Country, Appalachia, Creole, Deep South) have adopted these two vegetables. Using first person point of view in order to employ an embodied prose approach specifically aimed at using my experience as a Southerner in order to inhabit the space of the narrative, this project provides the opportunity to explain the historical scholarship on southern foodways while also relating what I hope is a compelling narrative.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - Interdisciplinary Studies
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Tom Okie
“Corn and Tomatoes” – An Edible History Project Examining Their Historical Role in Southern Foodways
This research was conducted as part of an edible history project for a graduate study of movements in American culture, particularly southern food in American history. As such, the culminating activity has produced this essay, which provides an explanation for how tomatoes and corn became an intrinsic part of the foodways of the American South. It briefly describes the history of these two ancient vegetables and their journey from South America (tomato) and Mexico (corn) as they made their way first into Southern gardens, then kitchens, and finally its culture. Identifying various specific historical examples such as the tomato clubs started in South Carolina that used the canning of tomatoes to transform social hierarchies at a grassroots level and which ignited rural girl’s entrepreneurial spirits, it shows how fully these two vegetables have become part of the cultural fabric of Southern food history. Exploring festivals and regional specialties where tomatoes and corn reign supreme, this research demonstrates how the various Southern areas (Old South, Coastal/Low Country, Appalachia, Creole, Deep South) have adopted these two vegetables. Using first person point of view in order to employ an embodied prose approach specifically aimed at using my experience as a Southerner in order to inhabit the space of the narrative, this project provides the opportunity to explain the historical scholarship on southern foodways while also relating what I hope is a compelling narrative.