Foodways

If you live in West Virginia and care about food, you probably know about DiCarlo’s in Wheeling, where they serve pizzas topped with cold cheese. You’ve probably heard — or even been to — the big springtime ramp feed in Richwood. And you probably know that, when it comes to hotdogs joints, Yann’s Hotdogs in Fairmont is on a level all its own.

Have you ever heard of the Marmet Slaw Dog? The secret recipe for the was thought to be lost, but in recent years, has been rediscovered.

In a special report as part of the Inside Appalachia Folkways Project, Nicole Musgrave, traces the surprising history of gingerbread in Knott County, Kentucky from everyday treat, to election time tradition, to fundraising champion.

It’s been quite a stressful couple of months for most of us. For this episode of Inside Appalachia, we wanted to slow down, take a breath, and talk about one of our favorite foods — cookies!We'll get some baking tips on a very special kind of cookie, made with local buckwheat and stone ground flour.

There is a story about a special type of heirloom tomato, called the Mortgage Lifter. These tomatoes are big, pink and sweet, that were so popular in southern West Virginia, they helped their creator pay off his mortgage. Except, that’s not the end of the story. There is another “mortgage lifter” tomato.

The pawpaw was important enough to the Shawnee people’s way of life that they even named a phase of the moon after it. Pawpaws were also important to the Choctaw nation. Hear how members of the Choctaw and Shawnee nations are reconnecting to their roots — and tracing their family’s stories back to Appalachia, and to pawpaws.

In a special report as part of the Inside Appalachia Folkways Project, Nicole Musgrave spoke with several people in Floyd County, Kentucky who have used the pandemic as an opportunity to teach others how to process meat at home.