From the editors of Southern Living comes a fun and flavorful look at one of America’s favorite fall pastimes—tailgating. The SEC Official Tailgating Cookbook focuses specifically on the 14 NCAA Southeastern Conference (SEC) football teams, with four region-appropriate recipes for each.

As much fun; however, is the exploration of school traditions around football, memorable moments in the schools’ gridiron histories, and stories of legendary coaches, as well as players.

Football Game. Photo by Riley McCullough on Unsplash.

The forward by Paul Finebaum, sports author, television and radio host, and self-affirmed SEC football fanatic, talks about his first trip to the Holy Grail of Tailgating: The Grove in Oxford, Mississippi. This is one I’ve experienced myself and was in awe of the team spirit, the hospitality to newcomers, and the most inventive, and elaborate, camping set-ups I’ve ever seen.

The Holy Grail of Tailgating

Finebaum expounds, “On my first trip to The Grove, I was shocked to see Mercedes and BMWs backing up and unloading fine china that the Rockefellers would have envied, along with an array of food like I’d never seen, served on white tablecloths that seemed more Buckingham Palace than Delta lawn party. The Rebel motto puts it all in perspective: ‘We may not win every game, but we’ve never lost a party.'”

Waiting for Kickoff. Photo by Sandro Schuh on Unsplash.

The SEC Official Tailgating Cookbook gives you a run-down on pre-game rituals; a lesson in food safety, complete with internal meat temperature guides when grilling; checklists of essentials; and my favorite, The Ten Commandments of Tailgating.

The Big Ten

1. Thou shalt arrive hungry and leave with belly full.
2. Thou shalt not attend a tailgate empty-handed.
3. Thou shalt break bread with friends and foes alike.
4. Thou shalt learn every single word of thy school’s fight song.
5. Wheresoe’er thou dost tailgate, thou shalt obey the rules.
6. Thou shalt remember thy manners.
7. Thou shalt not be a fair-weather fan.
8. Thou shalt watch the game, not thy mobile device.
9. Thou shalt not engage in behavior thou wouldst not want to go viral.
10. Thou shalt remember the real reason for tailgating: making memories.

In addition to memories, there’s great food and we’re thrilled to share for of our personal favorites from The SEC Official Tailgating Cookbook.

• Alabama: Fried Chicken Green Tomato and Waffles
• Arkansas: Ham and Cheddar Pinwheels
• Florida: Grilled Gator Kebabs
• Missouri: Loaded Golden Ravioli Nachos