Gittin' Back To My Roots!
Oct 05 '01 (Updated Jan 25 '04)
The Bottom Line No matter what or where I eat, I always come back to my culinary roots!
(Thanks to food author Becky Mercuri for including a portion of this review in her book "Sandwiches That You Will Like" - the companion book to the PBS series by the same name. It was a pleasure corresponding with you! And, the book is great!)
I have truly enjoyed dining all over the world. A favorite leisure activity is to enjoy a nice restaurant with my wife- check out new places, try different foods. I never tire of Greek, Middle Eastern, Italian, Chinese, Mexican, or French cuisine. BUT, when it's all said and done (there's usually more said than done.....oops, I digress) take me back to what I was raised on. Here's my list of the best southern foods:
Pinto Beans
Hoooo- we , Mamaw used to cook a big pot of them thangs! They would cook all day on the stove with a big hunk of fatback in them! For those who don't know what fatback is, it is exactly what it says - the fat from the back of a hog. It flavors up those dishes even if it does clog up your arteries! Fatback is also delicious fried real crisp. We always kept a plate of it sitting on the stove to munch on throughout the day. The compliment to the beans would be -
Cornbread
Mamaw wouldn't use nothin' (pardon my vernacular) but White Sail brand white corn meal mix. She'd grease that cast iron skillet with lard ( and later on Crisco when we learnt better), mix that batter with buttermilk, meal, lard, and eggs, and pop it in that 450 degree oven. Pretty soon a big ole pone of piping hot bread was on the table. You cut a slice of it and crumble it up, ladle your beans over it and mash it all together. It was heavenly! Left over bread was a good night time snack crumbled in a glass of milk (sweet or buttermilk). It also used it to make scrumptious dressing on holidays.
Sweet Taters
Papaw growed good'uns! We'd fill a skillet with the yams and bake 'em till they was good and tender. Split one open while hot and fill it with butter and brown sugar. Yum! They also made wonderful pies!
Liver Mush
One company got fancy and started calling it liver "pudding" but it's still liver mush to me. It is a delicious mixture of pork liver, spices, and corn meal cooked and pressed into a one pound block. You can eat it cold or fry it. It makes a tasty supper served with mashed taters or is fantastic on a white bread sandwich with mayonaise. Even when we were kids and didn't like liver itself- we adored liver mush. Another great way to eat it is mixed in a plate of grits. A wonderful breakfast!
Pimiento Cheese
"Minner" cheese was created during the Depression as a poor man's food. Now it is sold almost everywhere and is fashionable. Mama used to make it by grating American cheese, adding mayo and a can of pimientos and a dash of salt. The store bought stuff is good , but it's better homemade.
Collard Greens
The eastern part of North Carolina is collard green country - but really they are enjoyed all over the south. The thick, lush plants grow in some places to be several feet in circumference. You have to wash them good or they will be gritty. Yes, they stink up the house while cooking, but they sure are good! You start out with what looks like a bushel basket full and as it cooks down it decreases in size. Some people also enjoy frying them after they are cooked. And,some folks eat collard sandwiches. To me, the perfect compliment for them would be pork ribs.
Barbecue
Honey, them people out west don't know how to make Barbecue! I think hogs have to be the national animal of Dixie! The best barbecue is southern style. But, that can be two ways - with ketchup based sauce or vinegar based. Both are acceptable. The only real way to eat southern barbecue is to smoke the pork butt over hickory chips slowly and then mince it when you take it off the bone. Lord have mercy, I am starvin' to death writin' this!
Fried chicken
Darlin', don't do nothin' to that chicken but put it in a bag with flour, salt and pepper and fry in an iron skillet with real hot grease. It's that simple. When it's good and done surround it with mashed taters, green beans boiled until they look shriveled (boil them with salt, a little sugar and a touch of oil), homemade biscuits, and creamed corn.
Beverages
The king of southern beverages is SWEET TEA. Fellas, drink it like you like your women - strong and sweet. I have never understood when I travel WHY I am offered tea but not sweet tea. Hey- why bother? If it's not the custom then why have the pink and blue packs on the table? I understand some diabetics can't drink tea sweet- but 95% of all people are gonna dump some kind of sweetener in it when ordered. And, NOTHING tastes as good as putting in that sugar while the tea is hot and fresh-brewed.
If tea ain't your thang, then maybe you like Cheerwine - a wonderful cherry soda produced in the Carolinas. It's a dark soda with a strong cherry flavor that is so refreshing.
But, the true suppertime drink when I was growing up was milk. Everyone drank milk with dinner and supper (we didn't have lunch and dinner until we learnt better). Coffee was taken only at breakfast.
Snacks
Johnny cakes and cheese - we loved these round cookies from Jack's Cookie Company. They were about the size of a small pancake and we sliced pieces of sharp cheese on them. I have great memories of Papaw handing them to me while we watched Walter Cronkite's CBS News.
Sardines and Crackers - this was our snack when we went fishing. We'd sit on the bank in between nibbles and pop a tin of the fish. Sometimes they'd be packed in oil, sometimes mustard. We'd place one on a saltine cracker and enjoy! But, you always needed an RC Cola nearby to wash that strong taste out of your mouth. A good ole Moon Pie was good to have to follow that up. My Favorite was vanilla.
Well, I've barely scratched the surface here. But, isn't it amazing - the correlation between food and memories. No matter where I go or what I eat, I always long for Mamaw's kitchen. Some time ago my wife and I were sitting in a restaurant in Austria enjoying a wonderful veal dish. She looked up at me and said "wouldn't a pone of cornbread be good with that!". I had to concur.
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Location: Between the Waxhaws and Oklawaha
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Just me - a middle-aged teacher who works to travel.
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