Community Corner

Historian Looks at Civil War's Food Legacy

Gwinnett County Public Library sponsoring discussion on the book 'Starving the South' Sunday.

In "Starving the South," author, historian and culinary arts expert Andrew Smith examines how food affected the Civil War’s outcome and its legacy. The Gwinnett County Public Library announced it is sponsoring a discussion on the book and signing at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 1.

In April 1861, Lincoln ordered a blockade of Southern ports used by the Confederacy for exporting cotton and tobacco and importing food staples like flour, salt and pork. The South, the richest agricultural region in the nation, was unable to feed its army or its urban populations. The urbanized North, on the other hand, produced enough to feed its population and army, and it even had large surpluses to export to Europe, according to the announcement.

While the Civil War split the country in a way that affects race and politics to this day, it also affected the way Americans eat and drink, the announcement stated. The war transformed local markets into large, nationalized and industrialized food suppliers. It forced the development of the northern canning industry, solidified the celebration of Thanksgiving as a national holiday, and forged the first truly national cuisine as emancipated slaves migrated northward carrying the recipes and flavors of the South with them.

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This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Civil War 1861-64. The library-sponsored event takes place at the Lawrenceville Female Seminary at 455 S. Perry Street in Lawrenceville. It is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Books will be available for purchase at the event. For more information, visit www.gwinnettpl.org or call 770-978-5154


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