Stack cakes, shuck beans, chicken 'n' dumplings, soup beans, and fried apple pies--significant regional foods of Appalachia. Add biscuits and gravy, fried apples, chow chow, and gritted corn bread, and this food reveals its diverse roots in the cultures of Europe, America, and Africa.

American and Appalachian food has passed through significant periods of history, including Native American, European adaptation, steak and potatoes, new Continental, American regional, and healthy low-fat eras. Long before peanut butter and mayonnaise found a place in Appalachian kitchens, Native Americans hunted black bear, buffalo, elk, and whitetail deer. They gathered hickory nuts, black walnuts, American chestnuts, persimmons, and fox grapes, and they domesticated corn, pumpkin, squash, and beans.

When Americans became fascinated with regional foods in the 1970s, the ingenuity and integrity of Appalachian foodways were well established and deserving of recognition.