Where does the name “Chitlin Circuit” come from?

The name “Chitlin Circuit” comes from chitlins, which comes from chitterlings, a Southern dish of pigs’ intestines that are either fried or stewed with spices and aromatics. The dish considered to be a delicacy by African Americans. Many performance venues on the Chitlin Circuit served chitlins and other soul food dishes. The term may also be a playful variation of “Borscht Belt,” a circuit of clubs and theaters in the Catskills regions of upstate New York that was popular for Jewish families.