Things to do / Travel Guide
Southern Appalachian Mountain Specialty Cuisine
The southern Appalachian Mountains region is through and through a country region. Hearty comfort foods abound, like country-style steaks and fried chicken, hash browns and mashed potatoes, cornbread, and green beans. Now THAT'S good eating. And we haven't even mentioned the biscuits yet. They're the kind you break open when they're still piping hot from the oven, and smear in a generous portion of butter. Some people like them with honey.
You can often find these restaurants in conjunction with the many inns and hotels in the region. These accommodations, way stations for travelers, were always places for conversation and camaraderie. And with good company almost always comes good food; it's a pleasure to wander down a country road to its terminus, and find there a small country inn serving the “best cornbread in the county.”
Part of the draw for the region's cuisine is all the fresh ingredients hailing from the region itself. The Shenandoah Valley has been a star agricultural area for hundreds of years; today it still produces a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and meats. Berries, apples, and melons; tomatoes, herbs, and peppers of all kinds; and cows, pigs, and lambs are all grown and produced in and around the Valley.
Farther south, in the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, all these vegetables and meats are still in abundance, as well as pinto beans, turnip greens, and “ramp,” a relative of the leek. What's big in these southern Appalachian parts is canning and preserving. The tradition goes back to when it was a necessity for survival in the long hard winters, when you might be snowed in for weeks. The big candidates for canning are beans and pork, though mostly anything could be canned. You won't find these canned goods in stores, of course, but you'll see 'em when perusing the shelves of any country store.
Roanoke, Virginia, and Knoxville, Tennessee, both contain a good variety of restaurants, both in the respective downtown areas. Asheville, North Carolina's dining offerings can be spoken of more at length.
Dining in Asheville
Asheville contains quite the eclectic mix of interesting and upscale restaurants. The city has always been the unique feather in western North Carolina's cap, with a surprising mix of peoples from all walks of life, as well as colorful and audacious architecture. This all manifests itself in the cuisine. There's no other place in the region where you can get selections of high-quality authentic fusion, vegetarian, international, and haute cuisine.
There are lots of really offbeat, fantastic restaurants in Asheville, which makes this art town the perfect destination after your emergence from nature, no matter how much you've roughed it. Two restaurants to make you go yum, and which can be representative of the city's eclecticism, are:
- Jerusalem Garden Café: This Middle Eastern café serves lamb and hummus, chicken and hummus, steak, and vegetables with hummus. Oh, and the steak comes with hummus. The ambiance is authentic, from the designs on the walls to the round tables. But you also dine there for the entertainment: The bongo and the oud players play their rhythm to the gyrations of the belly dancer.
- Tupelo Honey Café: This is Appalachian cuisine made haute. Don't believe it? Try the sweet potato pancakes and the goat cheese grits for breakfast; or for dinner, the tomato soup, the Charleston chicken sandwich, or the Texas toast. No ouds here, but the chefs like to sing along to Bob Dylan.
Like spurs on bike, Asheville is surrounded by other towns boasting interesting restaurants. West Asheville, Weaverville, Big Ivy, and Black Mountain are all blessed with good food and good eateries.
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