Saturday, June 22, 2013

Scholarly studies of cornbread and other food geography markers

ABSTRACT. This article explores the regional identity of the Great Plains through its foodways using 744 responses from a mailed survey that asked participants to plan a representative menu for their locale. The strongest association is with beef--not surprising in an area known for cattle ranching. Other commonalities include potatoes, beans, and corn. Differentiation within the region is marked by preparation methods for beef as well as emphases on cornbread and peach cobbler in the south, rhubarb pie in the north, tortillas and sopapillas in the southwest, and pickles in two separate clusterings
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…Finally, the fourth research question posed the possibility of using particular foods to set culture boundaries. Probably the most noticeable examples are the separate regions of cornbread and tortilla selections. A similarly distinct line between preferences for apple pie and peach cobbler divides the northern and southern Plains along approximately the same boundary as that established by settlement geographies.


Shortridge, Barbara G. "A Food Geography Of The Great Plains." Geographical Review 93.4 (2003): 507-529. America: History and Life with Full Text. Web. 22 June 2013..

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