DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Now the whole world can hear Gary Schoening describe his family's way of making German mettwurst in the western Iowa city of Glenwood.

His story is among several available on a new Web site that promotes Iowa's distinctive foods and the history behind them.

The site -- Iowa Place-Based Foods -- is based on food research from Riki Saltzman, coordinator for the Iowa Arts Council Folklife.

''Place-based foods have a unique taste that often has to do with an ecological niche and/or the ethnic or regional heritage of their producers,'' said Saltzman, the Web site's creator. ''These are the foods that we seek out to eat locally when we visit a particular place. Food is not just about sustenance. We want foods that have a story.''

The history of Iowa's foods is told on the site by those who produce the edibles -- everything from Dutch letters, popcorn, creamy Maytag blue cheese and other foods. Besides written transcripts of each food story, the Web site offers a list of locations where the food can be purchased.

The site was launched with a $10,000 grant from Iowa State University's Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.

The center also helped Saltzman begin a project in 2005 called the ''Iowa Foodways Project: Taste of Place.''

Saltzman started surveying the state to identify a variety of foods and the people who produce them. The goal was to document foods that can be distinguished as uniquely Iowan by their historical, ethnic, ecological or geographic heritage.

Saltzman interviewed producers and others to identify foods that meet at least two of three criteria as place-based foods: an ecological and geographical niche, a heritage basis and a narrative that explains those connections to Iowa.

Foods that met all three criteria include Maytag Blue Cheese, Maasdam's Sorghum, Amana rhubarb wine, K&K Tiny but Mighty Popcorn, western Iowa mettwurst, and black walnuts and pawpaws from southeastern Iowa.

Saltzman documented several other foods that meet two of the criteria, such as lefse, flour tortillas, corn tortillas, Dutch letters, pork tenderloins and kringle.

Now that the findings are just a click away, some are hopeful Iowa could attract more visitors as culinary tourism continues to rise.

''Successful place-based foods developed in rural Iowa offer the potential for more of those dollars staying in rural communities,'' said Rich Pirog, who directs the Leopold Center's Marketing and Food Systems Initiative. ''This research also is important because of potential new markets for the farmers and processors who produce place-based foods.''

In Iowa, culinary tourists flock to cultural food fairs and regional dining experiences in places such as the Amana Colonies, where home-cooked German meals are served with fresh-baked breads, pies, rhubarb wine and potato dumplings.

''Eating, like listening to music or going to museums, provides a window into other cultures,'' Saltzman said. ''But with food, we aren't restricted to just listening or seeing. We can use all of our senses, and even bring home a souvenir such as a special jam, a bag of pastries, or a cookbook.''