Archives and Special Collections is excited to announce the opening of our new exhibit called “The Southern Plate: An Archival Exhibition on Food.” This exhibit uses materials from our collections to examine a number of aspects of southern foodways from grits and greens to everything in between. Visitors can see some of our large cookbook collection displayed. In addition to celebrity, community, and church cookbooks, you can see examples of 19th and 20th century handmade recipe books featuring family favorites, from fudge to blackberry wine. We also look at the intersections of food and other aspects of society, from looking at rationing of food during wartime to black food cooperatives and land ownership to desegregating southern dining establishments. There are displays on blues songs about food as well as the role of food in various literature from southern writers. We’re excited to also have two displays curated by the staff at the Institute for Child Nutrition, featuring materials from their archives, housed here on the campus of the University of Mississippi. Visitors can also browse oral histories from the Southern Foodways Alliance on our digital kiosks.

This exhibit runs through December 8th. We are planning a series of events throughout the year, featuring chefs, food historians, and more, so stay tuned!