New Delhi, June 13 -- I didn't quite expect Alabama to introduce itself through food. Often called the Yellowhammer State, after its state bird, Alabama stretches from the Gulf of Mexico to a forested interior, anchored by cities like Birmingham, Montgomery, and Mobile. Landmarks and museums abound, but the more immediate way to read the state is at the table.

On my first morning in Mobile, I step out for breakfast. Coffee and a fruit bowl. "Will that be all, y'all?" the server asks, with an easy Southern drawl. I decide to take her recommendation. A freshly baked biscuit-more scone than cookie-arrives dunked in sausage gravy, with a tall glass of iced tea. "That's commonplace here," she says. "Sweet tea, unless you want half-and-half." ...