What's this? A "new" Epinions topic that's not completely stupid?
Feb 26 '01
The Bottom Line Meals in the South are unique, heavy and filling. Here are a few of my favorites.
I've waded though horrible topic after horrible topic that's been posted since the "new" Epinions launched in January. How to choose socks? How to care for a shovel? Proper uses for a pretend weapon? Oh, now, now, now. How silly can we get?
Well, this is one topic that isn't too bad. I know a little bit about Southern cooking, having been raised on it in both the Central and Delta regions of Arkansas. I'm also lucky enough to have a Wife that can work Confederate magic in the kitchen when in the mood and cut loose.
A lot of people think of Southern food as being nothing but fried stuff. That's true to an extent, but there's much more diversity than that. A lot of the traditional Southern dishes are based on this part of the nation's agrarian past, influence from the Scotch-Irish, all sorts of Cajun things and etc.
Some meals were born out of necessity during the War Between the States and Reconstruction when the impact of war was leaving people in these parts with the option of starving to death or finding some food. For that reason, you'll still find squirrel, rattlesnake and crawdads are enjoyed by some.
A lot of Southern food will put weight on you and, perhaps, clog your arteries, but many dishes are actually quite healthy. Frying food is a common practice around here, but you'll also find that some measure of boiling, broiling and baking goes on here, too.
Looking for vegetarian-friendly meals? You might find some of those vegetarian types around here, but you'll do better to pack your carpet bag and head north a few hundred miles. Is there anything wrong with being a vegetarian? Not really, but don't expect to be accommodated in the South by too many folks at dinner time. Southerners tend to be hospitable, but not to the point of keeping a chunk of tofu around the house in case someone wants it.
Here, though, are a few meals and side items to jump at if given the chance:
1. Fried taters, brown beans and cornbread. My Wife does a great job with this stuff. All of it's made from scratch, folks, and the brown beans cooked for about a day with ham in them for flavor. Great stuff.
2. Fried okra. The frauds in the world will try to boil this stuff. Don't fall for it. Boiled okra is slimey and nasty. God meant for okra to be fried, and with good reason.
3. Fried squash. Another great item. There's nothing better than sliced, fresh squash that's been rolled in corn meal and fried.
4. Red beans and rice. A true favorite! Few things are better than a mess of red beans spiced with Tobasco and laced with spicy, andouille sausage and served over a bed of rice. Great stuff every time, but beware of those pretenders who try to "fancy" up this dish a bit. It needs to be spicy, simple and served over white rice. Oh, and forget about canned beans, too -- dry beans that have been soaked and cooked for about a day are acceptable, but that can of Bush's Best beans that you got down at the IGA isn't.
5. Fried chicken. I don't eat a lot of chicken, but I do get the urge for it every now and again. My Wife's Grandmother has turned the act of frying chicken into an art. My tip? Try to find someone that's cooked up a mess of "fresh chicken" (i.e. stuff directly from the processing plant that hasn't been frozen) and has taken the time to serve it with garden-fresh green beans, corn bread and mashed potatoes with gravy. Yeah!
6. Ribs. And, I mean pork ribs. And not stuff with that Bullseye barbecue sauce out of a bottle. If anyone tries to serve you beef ribs in these parts, politely decline and ask for the "real" article. Pork ribs are the way to go, and Southerners will develop their own "secret" dry-barbecue recipes over the years and proudly apply them to ribs. Finding a smoker with some good, dry barbecue pork ribs is a real treat. What goes well with this? Well, corn-on-the cob that's cooked in the smoker is great, and make sure to reach for that homemade bread and bunch of napkins (paper towels are best, actually).
7. Beer chili. Beer chili is easy to make, but few know how to make it well. Beer chili is common in the fall and winter, and a lot of chili cooks have adopted a simple motto -- the hotter, the better. If you get beer chili that's made with ground venison, you're a lucky type!
8. Catfish. Fried catfish. Broiled catfish on the grill is fine, too, but catfish is traditionally fried. Great stuff.
9. Biscuits and gravy. White gravy poured over biscuits is a lot better than you might think. Sometimes you have sausage gravy, and that's fine, too as some chunks of sausage go well with the mix. Sides? How about some fried eggs, hash browns and grits. Wash all that down with some black coffee, and your morning has started well.
I've even had chocolate gravy, which is a type of thick, chocolate sauce poured over well-buttered biscuits. Some people use chocolate jello pudding mix and thin is out a bit with extra milk to make gravy, but the best stuff is homemade.
10. Porkchops, minute steaks and other meat that's breaded and fried. Meat that's been rolled in flower and slightly peppered is always tempting.
11. Hot sauce. This stuff deserves a category of its own because there are many types available. The best ones go for flavor rather than just heat. My Grandfather simply grew his own peppers, stuck them in a bottle full of vinegar and let them soak for awhile. The resulting vinegar sauce was white hot, but great in moderation.
Also, Tobasco makes a fine bottle of red pepper sauce. The recipe? Take some read peppers, mash them up, stick them in an oaken cask with salt and vinegar, then age for around seven years. Great stuff, and this adds some unique flavor to about any meal.
12. Chickory Coffee. Chickory grows on the sides of the road and everywhere else around here. During "The War," Southerners used to cut coffee with this so as to make their supply last longer (there was a shortage back then due to blockades and such). Chickory adds a mellow flavor to coffee that's truly unique.
13. Chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes with gravy. The best chicken fried steak is found in the South. Bank on it.
There are but a few of my favorites. I've left out a bunch of Cajun dishes, but I don't live in Louisianna, so I don't run across them that often here in Northwest Arkansas. There are some things to avoid, too. If anyone offers to make you "greens" (i.e. turnip greens and the leaves of other plants), run. I've never warmed up to crawdads or squirrel, either. Oh, and alligator is okay if it's cooked right. Otherwise, it's horrible.
Happy eating! I'm hungry now and I'm looking forward to the next time my Wife cooks (don't criticize, now -- I'm a terrible cook. My Wife cooks, I do the dishes, and everyone's happy).
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Epinions.com ID:
HawgWyld
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Member: Ethan C. Nobles
Location: Benton, Ark.
Reviews written: 1436
Trusted by: 495 members
About Me:
The oxen are slow, but the earth is patient.
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