There’s nothing quite like a Southern comfort meal, but what is it that truly defines Southern food? To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans released its very first cookbook, honoring the unique dishes and culinary heritage of the South.

The SoFAB cookbook shares the recipes from chefs in each of the southern states, including several modernized staple dishes for a Southern table spread.

Authors Elizabeth M. Williams and Maddie Hayes created the cookbook to explore the recipes and meals that bring people together in the South. In 2004, Williams founded the museum to celebrate the unique food and drink traditions of New Orleans and the culture that shaped its iconic cuisine. While explaining the museum’s origin story in the cookbook, Williams says, “When we opened the museum in 2008, New Orleans’s reputation as a food Mecca was so pervasive that people outside the city were also surprised that one didn’t already exist.”

With the nearby city being known as the melting pot of the South, it’s also no surprise that the contributions of so many surrounding communities made Southern food what it is today. How would you define Southern food?

Learn more about the book or purchase your own copy through LSU Press.