[Walter] Today we are in Nashville, Tennessee, where history and music collide.

So get ready for an unforgettable journey as we uncover the history of southern hospitality at the Belle Meade Mansion.

You enjoying that, huh?

And of course, we get hands on in the kitchen with a talented local chef to whip up some southern food favorites such as smoked country ham, red-eyed gravy, fruit cake, and syllabub.

It's unbelievable though, ya know?!

And what better plac to celebrate Nashville's legacy than the Country Music Hall of Fame?

Here we learn about the origins of the soul stirring music that continues to shape today's culture.

So join us as we step back in time to immerse ourselve in Nashville's past and present.

All this and more for A Taste of History.

[Narrator] A Taste of History is made possible by [Three Little Birds b Bob Marley & The Wailers plays] ♪ Rise up this morning ♪ ♪ smiled with the rising sun ♪ ♪ three little birds ♪ [Narrator] The Caribbean all inclusive Sandals Resorts.

More information can be found at sandals.com.

Additional funding provided by Crow Vineyard and Winery on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Sip.

Stay.

Savor.

[tribal drum music] [wind blowing] [Narrator] Nashville's roots can be traced back to the ancient Mississippian culture, which thrived in the region from 1000 to 1400 A.D.. Over time, other Native American tribes such as the Cherokee, Chickasaw, and Shawnee were drawn to the area's natural resources, flourishing with the support of its lush forests, rivers, abundant land, and fertile hunting grounds.

[dogs bark] [fire crackles] The 18th century brought a new chapter to the region, as French fur traders founded a trading post in 1717, markin the earliest European presence.

It wasn't until 1779 that the first settlement emerged on the peaceful banks of the Cumberland River.

Led by Englishman James Robertson, a group of pioneers constructed Fort Nashborough, a log stockade named in honor of General Francis Nash, a heroic figure from the American Revolutionary War.

[gunshots] [stately piano music begins] Tennessee earned its statehood in 1796 and Nashville's destiny as the state's capital was sealed in 1843, securing its place as a center of governance and culture.

By 1860, Nashville stood as a prosperous city on the brink of momentous change, as the looming shadow of secession swept across the South.

[steam engine whistles] The convergence of transportation, communication, industry and symbolism rendered Nashville a pivotal focal point throughout the tumultuous four years of the Civil War.

[cannons firing] As the smoke cleared and the dust settled, Nashville's determined pioneers set their sights on revitalizing the city.

The late 19th century saw a remarkable rebirth, ushering in an era of prosperity that would shape Nashville's identity for years to come.

[country music] [horse snorts] [Mary Jane] Chef it is so wonderful to have yo here at Bell Meade.

This beautiful mansio was built back in 1853.

It was the home of th Harding-Jackson family.

And it's just a phenomena history of a stud farm, of southern hospitality.

This family was raising and training and breeding the thoroughbred race horses that were the athletes of the day, and all the wealthy turf men that came here, this family entertained.

And we're talking abou the Vanderbilts, the Carnegies, military dignitaries.

Teddy Roosevelt, Grover Cleveland was a guest here.

James Polk.

[Walter] I heard so much about this place and finally being here gives you goosebumps, you know, because you can envision what happened.

And, you know, I'm a food historian and a chef, and I'm looking forward to exploring more of this unbelievable estate.

[Mary Jane] Yes, and what keeps it unbelievably beautiful is our CEO, Sheree Kelley.

And she's also an incredible cook who I want to introduce you to.

-Well, I can't wait for that!

-Let's go meet her.

[country guitar strums] [Sheree] Walter, it's so good to have you here today at Belle Meade.

We're all about history, horses and hospitality.

And this, I hope, will be your first taste of our hospitality: our fruitcake.

So this recipe has been passed down through the Hardings and the Jacksons.

[Walter] I can't wait for it.

You know, the name of my show is called A Taste of History, so I couldn't be possibly in better place than here with you and in the original kitchen.

This is mind boggling.

[Sheree] We're going to need this big bowl because there's a lot of ingredients to go in here, and that's 1 pound of butter and then a pound of sugar.

[Walter] Many cake recipes by the way, including fruitcake, want to make sure that you feel the consistency.

You don't feel it with a spoon.

You don't feel it with a modern thing.

You gotta work it.

[Sheree] That's right.

And I have watched my grandma Rose make biscuits and all kinds of things by hand, just like this.

Okay, we have 12 yolks and 12 whites.

If you will do the whites I'll do the yolks very quickly.

And I'm done.

But it' going to take you a lot longer because the white will take longer to stiffen up.

[Walter] You want the whites to a peak?

[Sheree] Yes.

This looks good.

Woo!

Perfect.

Perfect.

Now we'll incorporate the yolks into our creamed butter and sugar.

Just like this.

-There we go.

-Now our egg whites.

You'll see how much moisture this is with these egg whites.

[Walter] You want to feed it in slowly, or all at once?

-Just keep going.

You can just keep going.

And I'll just keep stirring here.

There you go.

Ah, perfect!

And at first I thought, oh, this is too much liquid whenever I did this.

But as you will see, as we continue to add all these ingredients, it's going to absorb all this moisture.

So now what we need to do is to take our flour, and we're going to add all our spices.

Okay, so we have cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a tablespoon of ginger, a tablespoon of all spice.

There we go.

-Perfect.

-Combine before we add it into our liquid over here.

So all those lovely spices.

Can you smell that cinnamon?

-Big time.

-Oh so good.

Now we will incorporate this.

[Walter] Sheree, one of the things is that any kind of nuts you can use, I mean you have walnuts, you got almonds, you could use pecans.

-Right, yes.

And in this area we would have probably used more pecans.

-Yeah.

[Sheree] Okay.

I think we have our flour al mixed in now what do you think?

-Let me taste a little bit of the spice.

-Give it a little taste and see what you think.

-Oh golly.

[Sheree laughs] Oh yeah.

You could eat it just like that.

-Just like this, yes.

[Walter laughs] Okay, let's do fruit next.

-Yep.

Now, that fruit you had marinated overnight?

-Yes.

Overnight.

This bourbon.

I put, like a almost a pint, [laughs] of bourbo in here for these to marinate.

-Once you eat your fruit cake, you gotta leave the car keys behind.

-That's exactly right.

[laughs] There's cranberries in here.

There's golden raisins.

And then a little bit of apricots.

All of these wonderful fruits.

And then we are going to add to this our orange, the citrus.

-Yep, it could be orange and also lemon.

-Lemon, yes.

-Some people actually have a recipe that uses lime.

-Yes.

-Gosh, look at that.

-Doesn't that look good?

[Sheree laughs] So we're going to add some almonds.

-Perfect.

-And then our walnuts.

-I gotta stir that up for you.

-It's getting stiffer by the moment here.

It's beginning to take shape.

-You've given us the guideline but you can be really creative.

-You surely can.

-Yea, because- -As long as you stay with the measurements of the pound of sugar and the butter and those things, then when you start to add your fruits, change it up.

It's 3 pounds of dried fruit.

So this pan is ready.

It's already been greased.

And then I'm just adding a little bit of cinnamon and sugar.

-Extra flavor.

-Yes, It's a dense cake so you're going to fill thi tube pan all the way to the top.

Our cake is ready to go into the oven.

The original recipe called for four hours to bake at 350 degrees, but that would have been in a wood burning stove.

So I baked my fruitcake for an hour at 350 degrees, and it came out perfectly.

A beautiful fruit cake.

We would make this cake early on in October and then give it time to cure by wrapping it in cheesecloth and then pouring over some more bourbon about every 2 to 3 weeks.

And then by Christmas it would be moist and ready to eat.

Would you like to have a taste?

-How could I not?

[Sheree laughs] [Sheree] Oh, boy.

Right through.

And I can feel those nuts that we're cutting through.

-It doesn't get better looking than that.

Look at the-- It's perfect.

-I hope you want to taste it and tell me if it's perfect.

-Of course I will.

[Sheree laughs] It's only one word.

-And?

-Spectacular!

-Thank you!

That's so exciting.

Our fruit cake was our first taste of hospitality, as it would have been for anyone who visited Belle Meade.

And so this is my way of saying thank you to you for being here today.

[country guitar strums] [Narrator] Belle Meade's history dates back to the early 19th century, when John Harding, a successful entrepreneur, purchased a log cabin and 250 acres of land in 1807.

[Mary Jane] John sets up this blacksmith shop out here on Natchez Trace, which was an old Buffalo Trace because this was where the creek, the Choctaw the Chickasaw, all these indigenous tribe used to hunt in this area here.

It's a well-worn path by these bison.

Everybody used it to travel on.

I mean, it's literally like having a gas statio today to have a blacksmith shop on the Natchez Trace.

[Narrator] This bustling plantation grew to 5400 acres and included a burgeoning stud farm, a cotton gin, and a gristmill, as well as a dairy farm that churned out a remarkable 240 pounds of butter a week.

The Belle Meade Mansion, a magnificent example of Greek Revival architecture, was completed in 1853 after several expansions and renovation by the Harding-Jackson family.

Its grand columns and stately facade stood as a testament to the opulence and sophistication of the antebellum South.

[Mary Jane] Americans were just enamored with everything classical, which was Greek and Roman, and so they began to emulate and copy their styles.

And eventually, you know, Nashville was known as the Athens of the South because after the American Civil War, this city had more higher educational institutions for Americans of African descent, as well as for women than any other city in the South.

[Narrator] Beneath the splendor of the mansion lies a more complex narrative of the people who contributed to Belle Meade's legacy.

As many as 136 enslaved African Americans played a significant role in shaping the plantation's prosperity, working diligentl in the fields and horse stables to support the estate's flourishing businesses.

[Jeff] This family did accrue their wealth and their fam through the choices they made, but oftentimes utilizing the labor of thos who didn't have a choice.

Of course, with it being a stud farm, there's going to be a lot of the enslaved workers working in the Thoroughbred industry.

A trainer, a jockey, a groomsman, hostlers, who are managing the care of the horses.

There's plenty of account of some of the enslaved jockeys being between the ages of eight and 16 years old.

As far as a Thoroughbred industry itself, it's predominately African-American until the 20th century.

The first Kentucky Derby in 1875, 13 out of 15 riders were African American, and some of them were formerly enslaved.

So it's a predominantly African-American sport until the 20th century.

[Narrator] The Civil War brought challenging times to Belle Meade, as Union troops occupied the area as early as February of 1862.

Yet after the war, the families determination fueled the estate's revival.

Belle Meade became a cultural and artistic center that attracted social elites from across the nation to its lavis banquets and fashionable soirees that became synonymous wit southern hospitality and charm.

-The thing that brought these illustrious guests to Belle Meade, these wealthy turf men, is because horse racing was the national sport and this family was breeding and training the celebrities of the day.

By the 1880s the Cincinnati Enquirer is writing about this being the finest stud farm in America.

Tennessee was the epicenter of breeding, training and racing Thoroughbreds.

[country guitar strums] [horses snort] [Mary Jane] So, chef, thi horse Maxie, is a Thoroughbred, and Maxie is in the bloodline of Bonnie Scotland, who was a sire at the Belle Meade stud farm back in the 1870s.

Now, Bonnie Scotland's bloodline brings in horses you've heard of, like Seabiscuit, Secretariat, Seattle Slew.

Do you know that we've got 13 Triple Crown winners in the United States, and 11 of them draw their bloodline to Bonnie Scotland.

Just like Maxie.

All thoroughbreds have documentation that their bloodline, like Maxie here, goes back to one of thre Arabian stallions that were bred with the English race horses back in the 1600s.

But you know what the racing was at that time?

-What?

-It was jousting matches.

-Ohh!

-So these horses that they were racing in the jousting matches were old war horses.

They had strength, they had stamina.

But the Arabian stallions ran as fast as the wind.

So when they crossbred them, they got the perfect athlete.

They got the speed, they got the stamina, and they got the strength.

And that's what Thoroughbreds are.

[Walter] And what a beautiful animal, huh?

-Yeah.

Maxie's gorgeous.

-Oh, yeah.

You enjoying that, huh?

It's not even my cooking but you like it!

[laughs] [stately music] [Narrator] As the years passed, Belle Meade witnessed changes and adaptations mirroring the evolution of Nashville itself.

The 20th century saw the estate's transition from a working far to a beloved historic landmark.

In 1953, the Belle Meade Mansion was officially open to the public, allowing visitors to step back in time and experience the allure of a bygone era.

[country music] [Sheree] So, chef, we are ready to make a traditional food here in the South.

Country ham, biscuits, we're also going to make red-eye gravy.

One of the things that's ver important to this area is hogs.

So we have one of the largest smoke houses in the South, as much as 20,000 pounds of ha a year that we would be curing.

[Walter] Curing and smoking -Yes, to feed all the people that were coming here.

So chef, we're going to make a good old fashioned southern biscuit.

Are you ready to help me do this?

-Of course.

[Sheree] So we're goin to start with two cups of flour.

There's one.

And you always sift your flour when you're making biscuits.

Anytime you're doing anything actually you should sift your flour because it's been sitting in your pantry.

So the next thing that we need to add to this is our shortening.

The pastry blender will get it in here very quickly.

-I can tell this is not your first biscuit you're making.

[Sheree laughs] -You want to add the milk right on in there.

-All of it?

-Just pour it in.

And that was whole milk that we're using.

And this has a little bit of extra moisture in here.

But I can always add a little more flour.

-Sure.

-I'm going to just turn this out.

So we're adding just a little bit of flour enough that we can handle it.

And we'll knead it just a little bit just like this.

So we can use the dough roller here.

Not a lot.

We don't want too thin biscuits.

You want about a half an inch.

There you go.

Now we're ready to cut.

And here's the secret.

So when you cut your biscuit you're going to go straight down and cut.

You see all those layers.

The reason you cut straight down is to keep from sealing the edges of your biscuit.

A lot of people will do this number.

They'll go like that.

and you don't want to do that.

It seals the edges and it keeps your biscuit from rising as high.

And don't grease your pan.

There's enough shortening in your biscuit to keep your biscuits from sticking.

Yes.

So we're going to cut through all of this.

You place the biscuits right next to each other.

And then we're goin to keep cutting until we use up every bit of this dough.

So that we call the ugly biscuit.

It's the last bit of the dough now 425 degrees for about ten minutes.

And now we are ready to make country ham.

And when you're cooking country ham, remember it's smoked and cured, s you don't want to overcook it.

I call it the prosciutto of the South.

[laughs] [Sheree] Oh, good grief!

So chef let's have some biscuits.

So we're going to take one hot biscuit right here and open it up.

-Yep.

-Just like this.

And we're going to ad the country ham to our biscuit.

Just like that.

We're going to come bring this over here.

Leave it open.

-Yeah.

-And we're going to add our red-eye gravy.

It's just a half a cup black coffee.

And the renderings of the country ham.

Oh yeah.

That's what you're looking for right there.

Wow.

[laughs] Wow.

It doesn't get simpler than that and so delicious.

-And it just melts in your mouth.

[Walter] You're a star in my eyes.

I'm telling you, it's unbelievable.

So this one here.

The coffee kind of mellows down the salt and the ham flavor.

That makes it beautiful, you know?

[Sheree] Don't forget we have dessert yet to serve.

We're going to use the ugly biscuit since it ha all of these crevices over it.

We're just going to ladle that hot blackberry jam right on top of it.

-Oh man!

-So it's almost like a shortcake.

Some kind of fine eating.

-You're full of surprises!

[laughs] Beautiful.

I've never heard of that before, so- Oh!

-Absolutely delicious.

-Unbelievable.

I tell you honestly, I really appreciate you open this beautiful mansion to us.

And what I really lik the simplicity and the flavors that come along with it.

-Thank you so much.

[country music] [Walter] Let's learn more about why Nashville is hailed as the beating heart of country music and uncover the stories of the legendary artists who helped shape this city's identity.

[banjo strums] [Narrator] In the early 20th century, the roots of country music were planted in the soil of the American South, nurtured by the experiences of hard workin people who found solace in songs that mirrored their joys sorrows and everyday struggles.

[Paul] Chef Walter know all about this, right?

That, you know, often to make wonderful stew or a sauce it takes a lot o different ingredients and you got to blend them.

Country music is a blend of many different flavors.

[fiddle plays] You have folk music and fiddle tunes from the British Isles that came over with settlers, and the fiddle was one of the most popular instrument in America from the 1700s, 1800s into the early 20th century because it was so portable.

You have black influence from the banjo, which was created by enslaved African people, and that was adopted by people who played rural music that we now call country.

The guitar is essentially a Spanish instrument.

Didn't become popular until a couple of decades into the 20th century.

All of these flowed into country music and gave it its very distinctive American sound.

[radio tuning static] [Radio announcer] From the Ryman Auditorium live: the Grand Ole Opry!

[Narrator] Nashville began t earn its title as the Music City with the launch of the Grand Ole Opry in 1925.

This weekly live radio sho began broadcasting the soulful sounds of country musi to eager ears across the nation.

[Paul] Starting in the 1940s, because so many country music stars and musicians who backed them were playing the Grand Ole Opry.

New York and Chicago record producers started coming to Nashville and scheduling recording sessions, and so that led to the rise of actual studios being built specifically in Nashville.

[rock guitar strums] [Narrator] As the years progressed, Nashville diversified its musical landscape, embracing genres like rock, pop, and blues.

The now iconic RC Studio B became a creative hub for musicians producing countless hit records for the likes of Elvis Presley, Chet Atkins and Connie Smith.

The 1960s witnessed a dynamic shift in country music, as artists like Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton broke new ground and elevated the genre's crossover appeal.

[Paul] Producers decided they needed to come up with a country music sound that could compete with rock n roll, and they thought, 'well, we could get older listeners' 'if we can come up with a sound' 'that kind of takes some elements of pop music,' 'but also keeps elements of country.'

These are artists who had smooth vocal styles.

Producers tended to downplay the role of fiddles and steel guitars and said, 'well, let's instead you know, a little more piano.'

'Maybe we'll bring in strings.'

And that became known as the Nashville Sound.

[electric guitar plays] [neon signs hum] [Narrator] Honky-tonks and intimate music venues continue to showcase talented musicians and inspire new generations of country artists.

The city remain an enduring symbol of the heart and soul of country music A place where melodies resonate with authenticity, storytelling flourishes, and the spirit of a nation finds its voice through song.

[electric guitar ends] [applause] [piano music] Hi, I'm Becky.

I am the executive bourbon steward here on site.

I help develop the bourbon programing here surrounding history, specifically the history of Belle Meade bourbon, how it ties into the site.

And also I hel with developing the programing surrounding food with bourbon and wine.

[Walter] You got a great job.

Can I apply?

[laughs] [Becky] Today we're going to be making syllabub.

It was made here historically.

-To me personally it's a very beautiful drink.

It's just misunderstood.

-This can be made and served as a mousse, or it could have more wine added to it and served punch style, which is what we are doing today.

Syllabub will begin with heavy cream.

This has already been whipped.

We have the powdered sugar in there.

We'll just fold it in and that makes it a little sweeter.

-I'm very interested about your blackberry wine.

It gives a unique flavor profile into it.

-Yes, well blackberries are prolific in this area.

So they were making a lot of blackberry wines here historically on the site.

-What I like is the coloring- -I love it too!

It adds that deep purple.

-Makes it beautiful -Mhm -What is the reaction being o people that never had it before?

-Starlight to the palate [Walter laughs] they say, 'where has this been all my life?'

[laughs Sprig of mint.

-Don't forget the nutmeg my favorite.

So there you hav your syllabub.

-Gosh, that look beautiful, huh?

-Right?

Absolutely lovely.

-Becky, cheers.

I want to say thank you.

I want to thank Shere for opening your doors to us.

-We're so honore that you came here.

All this fo A Taste of History!

[music ends] [Narrator] A Taste of History is made possible by [Three Little Birds b Bob Marley & The Wailers plays] ♪ Rise up this morning ♪ ♪ smiled with the rising sun ♪ ♪ three little birds ♪ [Narrator] The Caribbean all inclusive Sandals Resorts.

More information can be found at sandals.com.

Additional funding provided by Crow Vineyard and Winery on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Sip.

Stay.

Savor.

Viewers can find DVDs and cookbooks at atasteofhistory.org, including the all new A Taste of History Cookbook, complete with step by step instructions of recipes seen on the show.

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