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Southern Traditions


Varmint

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What are some of the quintessential southern foods that come to your mind (other than barbecue).  I'm really talking about foods that you generally don't find in the North.

I can think of . . .

Pimiento Cheese

Pork Rinds (awesome, when they're good and fresh)

Boiled peanuts (make sure they're at least room temp)

Moon Pies

Cheese Straws

Moravian sugar cookies and sugar cakes

CheerWine (diet CheerWine is the best)

I could go on all day.  There are a number of Southern exports that have become common up North, including Krispy Kremes, breakfast biscuits, and sweet tea.

Dean McCord

VarmintBites

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Kentucky Fried Chicken

Popeyes New Orleans Style Fried Chicken

Grits, with real butter and salt (nothing else allowed)

Fried Grits

Mississippi Farm Raised Catfish (fried with corn meal batter in PEANUT oil)

NO style Po-Boys on Gambino Bread

Roasted, salted in the shell peanuts

Community, Cafe du Monde and others: Coffee & chickory

Fried Okra

Fried Green Tomatoes

Fresh Figs and Fig Preserves

Blacked Eyes Peas

Corn Bread

Speckled Trout

Redfish (blackened and otherwise)

Boiled Crawfish, fried Crawfish tails

Mississippi State Cheese

(Edited by Bolivar Petit Corona at 11:24 am on Feb. 6, 2002)

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Bolivar seems to have more of a southern food problem than I.  I'll see if I can add:

Blenheim's Ginger Ale

Pork Chop sandwich

Fresh collard greens (or any other greens)

Hoppin' John

Chicken Fried Steak

Fried pies

Chicken and pastry

Brunswick Stew

Mashed rutabagas

. . . and, of course, the place to get all this stuff,

Piggly Wiggly

(Edited by Varmint at 4:27 pm on Feb. 6, 2002)

Dean McCord

VarmintBites

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When we did our potato chip face off at work last year (don't ask), Zapp's various flavors took several of the high marks. Great chips, mail order worked perfectly. The bags were date stamped, and shipped about three hours after they left the kettle.

This year, I'm considering an andouille and other sausages grilling feast, so I'll likely be soliciting suggestions soon...

Apparently it's easier still to dictate the conversation and in effect, kill the conversation.

rancho gordo

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  • 2 weeks later...

Bolivar, I grew up in TN and until I moved to GA I thought figs were only eaten in the Middle East.  Now we harvest them from everyone's back yard and can them.  Can you believe there are people with ancient fig trees who let the fruit fall to the ground year after year?  There's nothing more sensual or sensuous than biting into a fresh-picked fig.

Add to the list:

fried corn

backyard tomatoes

backyard tomato sandwich [bread, tomato, mayo, sink]

skillet cornbread

watermelon

squash casserole with potato chip topping

chow chow

Steven, did you see I posted about pot likker?  We must have been tuning into the same food frequency recently.  Pot likker is not only Southern, but it's also a home food--I can't remember the last time I saw it served in a restaurant.

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  • 3 months later...
Add to the list:

fried corn

backyard tomatoes

backyard tomato sandwich [bread, tomato, mayo, sink]

skillet cornbread

watermelon

squash casserole with potato chip topping

chow chow

Oh Stellabella (beautiful star?), what a laugh you gave me.

I had forgotten about my favorite sandwich from my youth...."backyard tomato sandwich," white bread, sliced ripe red tomatoes, mayo, eaten over the sink with the juice running down your arms.

Thanks for the memories...

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Ahhhh figs, preserved and made into Fuccidatas--Sicilian fig cookies.

Grits, as BPCC said.

Leidenheimer, Reising, Binder bread.

Barq's and Abita Root Beer.

Too many others to mention. Boiled seafood in Zatarain's or Rex seasoning.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Between Houston and Beaumont is/was a place called The Boondocks.  It was built out on a dock over the bayou.  The specialty was spicy fried catfish, but the real attraction was the hush puppies they gave you to toss to the alligators while you waited for your table. It was quite a place.

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FIG PRESERVES.....

And here's something I don't understand:  In order to get good Fig Preserves, you have to have a relative or friend or neighbor who makes them.  

In my family, it was Aunt Melcina from Baton Rouge.  Her husband, Uncle John, pruned the fig tree every year and one year he pruned it so hard it died.  Aunt Melcina's friends and neighbors offered to give her figs from their own trees so she could keep making the preserves, but she refused.  She wouldn't tell anybody how she made her preserves either.  I think it was just out of pure-d-meanness, because she was so het up about that tree.

A few years later, John died.  And not long after that, Aunt Melcina died, too.  

The few jars that folks still had left became as precious as though they were filled with gold.  Everybody squirreled them away and lied about having them.  Once I found FOUR jars in my Aunt Stella Mae's pantry, hidden down under a bag of rice and I ratted her out to the rest of the family.  

She never forgave me.

But here's my question:  why can't you buy decent fig preserves commerically?  Every other kind of preserve is there on the shelves to buy, but not good fig preserves.  I've tried all the ones I can find, but they lack flavor and substance.  I frankly just don't get it.

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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A Low Country Boil aka Frogmore stew is pretty darn good.  But it's gotta be spicy, which often isn't the case.  Throw some Tabasco in there and you're in the right direction.

Personally, I love scrapple aka livermush aka all those sick pork left overs they smoosh into a brick and fry up in slices.  Read the label and you'll puke, but eat it pan fried so it's crispy outside and mushy inside and it's good eatin'.  :D

I also personally love a good catfish fry at a fish camp.  My grandparents used to take us to this great place in Columbus GA and they brought plate after plate of fried fish, hush puppies and sour pickles.  The crispy tails are a bonus.

damn,  I'm gettin' hungry. :D

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lone star beer

frito pie

hush puppies

frogs legs

the open pit in texarkana

okra

sweet tea

chicken fried steak

Nothing is better than frying in lard.

Nothing.  Do not quote me on this.

 

Linda Ellerbee

Take Big Bites

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Chicken-Fried Steak topped with cream gravy is pretty popular around here. My husband makes an excellent version. The trick is to get the fried crust to stay on the meat. A friend of mine from Georgia says they have Chicken-Fried Steak there, too. But, her description sounds more like Smothered Steak to me. The Texas version is deep fried and then topped with the gravy. It doesn't cook in the gravy.

I'd have to add Peach Ice Cream as a favorite as well!

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As an unapologetic midwesterner--with a strong southern heritage-- had to reply to this topic to take it back up to the top.

Fat Guy - Thank you for the inclusion of "pot likker." It is a fond reminder of my dearly departed great-grandmother. She made the most tender greens that were lovingly grown by other relatives (she lacked the patience for gardening). She served her greens in a bowl and would spoon the juice over her skillet corn bread. Her gingerbread was made with Alaga syrup, and she made pound cake with her own butter.

Don't forget:

Smothered pork chops (southern fried with gravy)

Biscuts with sausage gravy

Fried Corn

Succotash

Tea and Lemonade mixed together

Rice Pudding with raisins and lemon sauce

Banana Pudding (w/Vanilla Wafers)

Watermelon Rind Pickle

Dressing (not stuffing)

Ho cakes

SWEET POTATO PIE :wub:

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What are some of the quintessential southern foods that come to your mind (other than barbecue).  I'm really talking about foods that you generally don't find in the North.

I can think of . .

Pimiento Cheese

Omygod. Yankees don't have Pimento Cheese?

You CANNOT be serious.

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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