Edacious - Food Talk For Gluttons

Part of the Appalachian Food Summit Series. Part 1 of 4. Can you really get a sense of a region's history through one ingredient? Food writer and Appalachia advocate Ronni Lundy knows you can. Her book, Sorghum's Savor does just that. While it contains recipes, a good portion of the book talks about sorghum's history, what it is and isn't, and the fascinating stories behind the folks who bring it to your table. As one of the founders of the Appalachian Food Summit, Ronni knows such stories are integral to understanding the evolution of a culture. Which is why we begin this episode's discussion around the history behind another ingredient, salt. At this year's gathering we were fortunate enough to have Nancy Bruns of JQ Dickinson Salt Works, a 7th generation salt farmer. Nancy considers salt an agricultural ingredient because in her words it is harvested from the ground and ripened by the sun. The history and evolution of this ingredient relates well to Appalachia's history as a land of extraction, as well as