Food in Tennessee
Southern cuisine with typical barbecue, hams, biscuits, gravy and banana desserts.
Hogs and cattle are raised in Tennessee. The dairy industry and the production of eggs and chicken are also important. Its most outstanding crops are tomatoes and apples.
Herman Lay began selling potato chips in Nashville in 1932. Six years later he bought the company that supplied him with potato chips and started H. W. Lay & Company. In 1961 the Lay Company merged with the Frito Company to become Frito-Lay Inc.
Tennessee food and drink
The Blue Ridge Mountains, which run along Tennessee's eastern border, have long been home to many distinct culinary traditions. These include dishes like cornbread, sourdough biscuits, pork chops, and beans. These dishes have been passed down through generations and are still popular today.
In the Mississippi region, soul food classics like fried catfish, hush puppies, and collard greens are beloved staples. This style of cooking has its roots in the African-American slave communities of the area, which has served as an inspiration for many of Tennessee's most popular dishes.
Tennessee hams, which are called free-range hams, are different from Virginia hams because the pigs are fed corn and other grains while Virginians eat peanuts.
Ham with red eye sauce is one of the popular dishes. The sauce has fried pieces of ham that resemble red eyes, hence the name.
Memphis style barbecue is mainly pork cooked dry, only seasoned with a rub, or wet, brushed with sauce before and during cooking.
Restaurants that serve "meat and three" are tremendously popular. You choose a type of meat and three garnishes from a long list of dishes of the day. Meat is not always meat, you can choose from pot roast, meatloaf, fried chicken, fried fish, salmon croquettes, chicken fritters and others. Side dishes are mainly greens and vegetables, although applesauce, cottage cheese, and macaroni and cheese often make the list as well. Corn bread or southern cookies are usually added separately, which are a specialty of the region, and it is accompanied with a huge glass of very cold sweet tea, another specialty. The meal ends with a piece of cake and coffee.
Fried food is a symbol of Southern style cooking and Tennessee is no exception. You can fimd sides like fried pickles and sweet potato fries.
The Volunteer State
Capital: Nashville
State animal: Racoon
State bird: Mockingbird
State insect: Firefly
State tree: Tulip poplar
State Flower: Iris
Food events
East Tennessee Strawberry Festival, Dayton, May, includes a baking, ice cream eating and milk churning contests.
Recipes from Tennessee
Many of the emigrants who settled in Tennessee were of German origin and brought with them the recipe for their potato salad, which is made with fried bacon and a vinegar dressing, rather than mayonnaise.