Barbecue and Southern Foodways

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The pig has always been an important staple food in the South. Fatback,
bacon, and lard season most traditionally prepared vegetables, and pork
in some form or another appears on most Southern tables. The cultural
importance of barbecue in Southern foodways, however, lies preeminently
in its roots in festival and social ritual. The rites and customs which
surround the preparation and consumption of barbecue today have roots in
the cultural history of the South, with implications for traditional
views of race relations, sex roles, and the formation of social
relationships in the South. Decisions about food support political and
social opportunities (Hilliard 95). One historian speculates that the
slow-cooking method of barbecue stems from a long tradition of general
slowness in the South, (Bass 311), and maybe that is the reason that the
South has been slow to abandon its traditional foodways. Other theories
include the relative poverty of the South compared to the rest of the
region, and a resulting reliance on familiar (and easily and cheaply
procured) foods. Slow-cooking methods can transform tough and stringy
meats and vegetables into delicious meals, and canning and preserving
bountiful summer foodstuffs is an economical Southern custom. Cooking
with pork adds flavor without expensive seasoning. The Depression which
enveloped the United States in the mid-twentieth century was nothing new
for most Southerners -- poverty was a way of life for many Southerners
long before it affected the rest of the country.

Another reason for the strong tradition inherent in Southern cooking is
the emphasis on tradition in most aspects of Southern culture. Most
Southerners are proud of their traditions - for hospitality, for strong
family ties, and for a lavishly laid table. John Egerton expresses this
beautifully in the preface to his book on Southern food:

For as long as there has been a South, and people who think of
themselves as Southerners, food has been central to the region's image,
its personality and its character . . . . Accents and attitudes and
life-styles may change, but fondness for Southern food persists; for
many people it lingers in the mind and on the tongue as vividly as the
tantalizing aroma of barbecue on the pit hangs in the air and penetrates
to the core of thought and remembrance(2).

The specific foodways imposed on the South by a combination of
geographical isolation and economic privation have continued into the
twentieth century not only because of the persistence of these two
factors, but because to many Southerners, these foods bespeak home,
family and regional identity. Simmering vegetables for hours on the
back of the stove made sense in the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries-- the stove was already lit, and the cook could tend to her
many other chores without worrying about the greens and fatback (or
butter beans or stewed corn or other vegetables). They would peacefully
simmer at low heat, and would provide a meal (along with some biscuits
or cornbread) when her other chores were finished. Today, this method
is not convenient, but it persists. When Georgia Brown's, a restaurant
specializing in Southern food in Washington D.C., started serving
collard greens that were cooked quickly to retain crispness and
nutrients, patrons complained. Now, the restaurant serves collards both
ways. Obviously, convenience is not the main factor in food preparation
in the South anymore-- memory and tradition dictate some food choices.
Barbecue and Southern Traditions

When considering barbecue, tradition is particularly important.
Barbecue is not easy to prepare -- it requires hours of tending a hot
smoky fire, and vigilant monitoring of the roasting meat. Few people
would choose to spend their time in a covered shack, inundated with
smoke (especially during the blazing summers of the South). But
barbecue endures. Despite encroaching health regulations, despite
inconvenience, and despite the prevalence of fast food restaurants all
over the country, people still eat barbecue, and "pit men" still hone
their craft.

The "pit men" who painstakingly tend the fire and smoke the meat that
becomes barbecue are usually older black men, sometimes moonlighting
from day jobs as farmers or agricultural workers (Zobel 61). Unlike
most food preparation in the South, which is dominated by women,
barbecue is a male preserve.

This phenomenon is one manifestation of the tendency of Southerners to
cherish those aspects of the South that defy the traditions of the rest
of the United States. When choosing a mascot for an entire region, few
people would choose the hog no offense to the Arkansas Razorbacks).
Barbecue, like the recent "chic" of the redneck, embraces the humble
origins of Southern foodways. In the South, there is often a tendency
to glorify defeat and privation, and this is amply demonstrated in the
popularity of barbecue. Pigs are smelly, slothful, and unattractive,
but pigs are Southern.

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Regards, Mike (Piedmont)

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