Blue Ridge tacos, kimchi with soup beans and cornbread, family stories hiding in cookbook margins, African American mountain gardens—these are a few of the stories readers find in a new anthology from Ohio University Press. “The Food We Eat, The Stories We Tell: Contemporary Appalachian tables” includes writings from diverse contributors, showing us that contemporary Appalachian tables and the stories they hold offer new ways into understanding past, present, and future American food practices.

The book was edited by Elizabeth Engelhardt and Lora Smith, who joined me by phone to talk about the project’s history and scope. Plus, we’ll hear contributors Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, Courtney Balestier, Emily Hilliard, and Robert Gipe reading excerpts from their chapters.