“If there were no other reason to live in the South, Southern cooking would be enough.’ –Michael Andrew Grissom
The south is a place where good manners, going to church and family life are still important. Chiggers, dragonflies, coon dogs, “chewin tabacca,” carbs and ambrosia are alive and well. Breakfast in the south is not for the faint of heart, and I love a southern barbeque where there is nothing in the world more important than family, friends and food. But sometimes it’s just too hot to think about eating. Even when it’s almost a hundred degrees in the shade and every molecule of my body cries out for iced citrus sweet tea, I’m discovering the pleasures of August in the south. Hot weather food is pure delight!
A handful of fresh tomatoes, sweet onions and a green bell pepper in a food processor with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar-a little fresh dill and a dollop of sour cream makes a cold gazpacho that cools you down and startles your tastebuds. It will revolutionize your thinking!
I am finding out that of all the great Southern culinary traditions, none is more sacred and respected than that of canning virtually anything edible that can be successfully preserved in a jar. It is called “putting up food.”
I am also noticing that there are a lot of elderly southerners, yet in Southern cooking, they use fats, sugar and salt, and there are no carbophobics! They don’t appear to bow to the egregious dictates of cholesterol, their food tastes great, they don’t have a lot of kitchen gadgets, and the cooks hardly ever look at a recipe. My Irish grandmother lived to the age of 104 and I'm almost positive she ate bread and potatoes every day!
I think that the secret to great Southern food is it’s natural simplicity and flavors. Food here reinforces strong bonds of family love and respect, through the discussing of recipes, preparation of food and sharing food. What a gastronomic legacy.” I'm looking forward to discover it!
“As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again.” –Margaret Mitchell
