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      • Natural History
      • First Peoples
      • Forging a Nation
      • The Civil War and Reconstruction
      • Change and Challenge
      • Tennessee Transforms
    • Temporary Exhibitions
      • A Better Life for Their Children (Opens Feb. 24, 2023)
      • STARS: Elementary Visual Art Exhibition 2023
      • Early Expressions: Art in Tennessee Before 1900
      • In Search of the New: Art in Tennessee Since 1900
      • Why Do Museums Collect
    • Online Exhibitions
      • Tennessee at 225
      • Ratified! Statewide!
      • Canvassing Tennessee: Artists and Their Environments
    • Past Exhibitions
      • Painting the Smokies
      • Tennessee at 225
      • Best of Tennessee Craft
      • Ratified! Tennessee Women and the Right to Vote
      • Tennessee and the Great War: A Centennial Exhibition
      • STARS: Elementary Art Exhibition 2022
      • Cordell Hull: Tennessee's Father of the United Nations
      • Lets Eat! Origins and Evolutions of Tennessee Food
      • The State of Sound: Tennessee’s Musical Heritage
      • Red Grooms: A Retrospective
      • Between The Layers: Art and Story in Tennessee Quilts
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      • Daily Life on the Tennessee Frontier
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      • The Age of Jackson and Tennessee’s Legendary Leaders
      • The Life of a Civil War Soldier
      • The Lives of Three Tennessee Slaves and Their Journey Towards Freedom
      • The Three Rs of Reconstruction: Rights, Restrictions and Resistance.
      • Understanding Women's Suffrage: Tennessee's Perfect 36
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      • The Modern Movement for Civil Rights in Tennessee
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Temporary Exhibitions

Tennessee's Musical Heritage

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Let's Eat! Origins and Evolutions of Tennessee Food

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Let's Eat! Origins and Evolutions of Tennessee Food

 

(August 9, 2019- February 2, 2020)

Explore the rich and diverse history of Tennessee’s food through Let’s Eat! Origins and Evolutions of Tennessee Food. Whether barbecued, fried, roasted, pickled, or chilled, the food of Tennessee, and the southern United States, is a meeting of Southeastern Indian, West European, and West African cultural groups. Many cooks, who were primarily women, took the proteins, vegetables, and cooking traditions of each group, then experimented, taste-tested, and created delicious meals. The evolution of Tennessee food continues as foreign-born recent arrivals inspire new flavors. The exhibition is presented through eight sections that trace the state’s food from its Southeastern Indian origins to contemporary food festival celebrations. All are complemented by artifacts from the Museum’s collection, digital storytelling, graphics, and location photography. *Please Note:  There is NO edible food in the exhibition. But since you will walk away hungry, we recommend visiting our friends at the Nashville Farmers' Market and throughout the neighborhood, and then taking off on a road trip throughout the state.

Recipes featured in the videos in the exhibition can be found at this link in our Stories section.

Highlight video for Exhibition:

Map of Restaurants/Locations featured in exhibition (click for larger clickable image with links to locations)

Let's Eat! Map

 

“Stumpjumper” boat made by Dale Calhoun, 1999Beaten biscuit table (1850-1860) and beater (early 20th century)Helen Turner of Helen's Bar-B-Q, Brownsville, Haywood CountyFood from Four Way Soul Food Restaurant in Memphis, Shelby CountyButtermilk Ice Cream from Cruze Farm Dairy in Knoxville, Knox County
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