Virginia Humanities

The Virginia Peanut Story – Film Screening and Discussion

Join us for a free public screening of The Virginia Peanut Story. This 57-minute film follows the peanut from its origins in South America to Africa and on to the Virginia Colony. The story takes the legume from being a lowly food grown for home use to being the basis for big businesses. The story includes […]

Sharing Spiritual Journeys

The next in a series of events from our “Changing the Narrative” project. Meet Roanoke neighbors from different religions/faith backgrounds Listen and Share personal faith stories Enjoy a meal catered by Temple Emanuel Breakdown Stereotypes/false perceptions of others’ religions Find commonalities in what we believe This event is free and open to the public, but […]

Exploring Indigenous Foodways

What did food sovereignty look like in Virginia prior to the arrival of Europeans?

What did food sovereignty look like in Virginia prior to the arrival of Europeans?  Why have Native American foodways changed so dramatically? And how are Indigenous communities building healthy, just, food systems today? In October, our Food & Community project set out to explore these questions through a series of workshops with leaders in Indigenous […]

Indigenous Lunch – Symposium on Food Sovereignty

Virginia Humanities’ Food & Community project and Virginia Indian Programs are collaborating with the University of Virginia Sustainable Food Strategy Task Force on a two-day Bicentennial Symposium event, Our Evolving Food System: from Slavery to Sovereignty. This public, free symposium will take place at the University of Virginia (UVA) October 17-18 2018, featuring an Indigenous lunch sponsored […]

African, Native American & European Foods Come Together

at Film Discussion in Danville on September 18th

Danville, Va. – Filmmaker Jamie S. Ross will show clips from her latest film, At the Common Table, at the Danville Public Library on Tuesday September 18, 2018. The screening and discussion are the last in a series produced by History United, a program of Virginia Humanities, called Our Civil Rights: A Common Table. The […]

Free Lunch Exploring Native Foodways

To Be Served at UVA Symposium on Food Sovereignty

Charlottesville, Va. – Virginia Humanities’ Food & Community project and Virginia Indian Programs are collaborating with the University of Virginia Sustainable Food Strategy Task Force on a two-day Bicentennial Symposium event, Our Evolving Food System: from Slavery to Sovereignty. This public, free symposium will take place at the University of Virginia (UVA) October 17-18 2018, featuring […]

Announcing New Project Director for Food & Community in Virginia

Food and Community in Virginia, a project of the Virginia Folklife Program at Virginia Humanities, welcomes Lilia Fuquen as project director for this year-long initiative. The goal of Food and Community in Virginia is to bring people across the Commonwealth together to document, celebrate, and share traditional, contemporary, and emerging foodways. Through diverse food traditions, […]

Babes in the Wood, Heritage Pigs

The Tamworth pig is a heritage breed similar to those brought here by English colonists. In Buckingham County, at Buffalo Creek farm, these slow-growing pigs have been reintroduced from England.

Arlington Food Memories

Arlington County is the smallest county in Virginia geographically, but it may be the most diverse. Its Columbia Pike region has been called “the world in a zip code.” Close to 30 percent of its residents are foreign-born, and its Latino population has increased a startling 98 percent since 2000.

Country Ham Curing: Darden Ham

The Darden family has been curing and selling country hams the old-fashioned way since the 1950s, at their country store in Smithfield, Virginia, following traditions Tommy Darden learned from his father.

Country Ham Curing

There is probably no other traditional food more associated with Southwest Virginia than country ham. Unlike the more commonly known wet-cured ham, which is soaked in brine or injected with a salt solution, country ham is dry-cured and aged over a much longer period. The curing of fresh pork hams takes nine months, usually beginning in November.

Fried Apple Pies

Known as “Fried Apple Pies,” “Dried Apple Pies,” or even “Fried Dried Apple Pies,” these locally made pies seem to have a ubiquitous presence throughout Southwest Virginia, appearing on the counters and shelves of country stores, gas stations, and community festivals. The defining characteristic of the pie is its intense flavor, accomplished through the use of dried apples, which are rehydrated through a long simmering process with brown sugar.