Eat, drink and be Hoosier

It’s giant tenderloins and persimmon pudding. Morel mushrooms and fried bluegill. It’s backyard gardens and family farms, hip new restaurants and reliable old diners. It’s time spent around the table and pitch-ins in the backyard. It’s family-meal traditions and new dining discoveries.

It’s Indiana’s food history, and Indiana’s food future.  And you’ll learn about it all, right here, at FoodforThoughtIndiana.org.

The one-stop-shop for all things related to food in Indiana, this site will encourage Hoosiers to think, read and talk about those time-honored traditions and new discoveries.

At www.FoodforThoughtIndiana.org, you’ll find the following components:

Food Memories
Whether it’s that first elephant ear at the Indiana State Fair, fresh corn on the cob, or the aroma of a freshly-baked blueberry pie at Grandma’s house, everyone has a distinctive memory about food. Through these memories and recollections, we connect with our past and learn about who we are. In this section, we invite Hoosiers to share their personal stories.

Favorite Recipes
Indiana is known for some signature foods – persimmon pudding, pork tenderloin sandwiches, sugar cream pie, among others. Submit your favorite Indiana recipe to our online database of “Hoosier favorites.” Food in Hoosier History Corn and hogs have played a significant role throughout the history of the state. But, as we all know, there’s more than corn in Indiana. This section will explore the role of food in Indiana from its beginning to the present, using excerpts of diaries and letters that highlight the food, food preparation methods and eating habits of Hoosiers, as well as historic cookbooks and menus.

Food in Hoosier Literature and Poetry
It’s no surprise that the topic of food—growing, harvesting and eating it—has found its way into countless Hoosier novels and poems, including such notable works as James Whitcomb Riley’s “The Frost is on the Punkin.’” Here, we’ll take a look at those writings and encourage individuals to submit their poems, short stories, or other literary pieces that address food and food-related topics.

Food Fairs and Festivals
Eating is a social event, a time when people not only feed their bodies but also their need for fellowship and conversation. For centuries, people have celebrated harvests with food (Thanksgiving, for example); today, communities highlight regional produce and products with fairs and festivals that attract thousands of people, such as the Pork Festival (Tipton County), Maple Syrup Festival (Parke County), Popcorn Festival (Valparaiso) and the Blueberry Festival (Marshall County). This section will highlight upcoming festivals and events.

Food Fads
Cities, states, and regions are known for specialty foods and types of cuisines: Cajun and Creole in New Orleans and Louisiana; lobster in Maine; varieties of barbecue throughout the South; pork and corn in Indiana. Here, we’ll highlight Hoosier “food fads” by identifying signature foods found across the state, and highlighting famous Indiana restaurants, diners and ice cream and sandwich shops. We’ll also encourage Hoosiers to tout their favorites.