Favorite Foods of Georgia.... (Atlanta, Columbus: homes, camp, restaurant)

[JLA]

I grew up in Columbus and in my house we called the time between 11:00 - 2:00, Lunch. Supper was after 4:00 PM. Even now at church, the food served after church service is called Potluck Lunch. I guess it all depends on where you are from in the South. Of course anyone who has lived in Columbus for any length of time know that we are not as Southern as Savannah, Macon or Augusta. The influences of other cultures from around the US and the world got to us very early, thanks to Fort Benning. But there are some things that have not changed,
RC Cola and a Moon Pie
RC Cola and Red Skin Peanuts
Black Berry Cobbler/Pie
Sweat Potato Pie
Chocolate Cake
Red Velvet Cake
BBQ (two different flavors, mustard or ketchup based)
Corn Bread
Black-eyed Peas
Butter Beans
Baked Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Corn
Collard Greens
Peaches
Water Mellon
Scrambled Dogs
And Peach Cobbler

[NOTAM]

maybe i could grow some scuppernongs in Hill Country Texas? worth a try huh?

Originally Posted by deja-zebbie

Yep, to avoid confusion it's important when making plans with people from Georgia to find out the TIME for meals. Sunday dinner in traditional restaurants often ENDS at 2:00 p.m. It can start as early as 11:00 a.m. and seems to be an after church thing.


People in our neck of the woods still eat their main meal of the day from 11:00 - 1:00, even those who are out working. They either go home for dinner or pick up a hot dinner somewhere (like a restaurant or grocery store).

Hot tea drinkers? The only person (male or female) that I've found 'round here who actually drinks hot tea on a regular basis (as opposed to an afternoon special occasion tea party) is a minister who drinks a cup before giving sermons.

zebbie

PS Bellestar, there are garden mail order catalogues that sell muscadines, so I imagine that they would sell scuppernongs as well. These native grapes require virtually no care and are immune to a lot of the "normal" diseases that afflict bunch grapes.

[DisgustaTruth]

Believe it or not.. I have had just as good Southern food in New York City as I have in Georgia. Georgians seem to be enamored with national chain restaurants that serve mediocre food. The true Southern down home places do still exist in Georgia but they are thinning out. Georgia is not really known for a cuisine unique to itself.. like New Orleans, Charleston, North Carolina and Virginia are known. Btw.. Brunswick stew is actually from Brunswick, VA.. not Brunswick, GA as many in the Peach State like to claim. Barbecue in Georgia is usually some variation of Eastern North Carolina Style Barbecue, Alabama Style, or Memphis Style.. depending of what part of the state you are in. Fried Chicken, Okra, collards, butermilk biscuits, country fried steak.. are items found all over The South.. not just Georgia.
What's really interesting is that one of the more popular Southern Country Style Restaurants in metro Atlanta, Donnie's Country Cooking (several locations in metro Atlanta) is run by a Korean family. And they do a pretty darn good job at recreating southern classics.
I think the culinary CAPITAL of The South is New Orleans, hands down! Savannah is as close as it gets in Georgia (Mrs Wilkes Boarding HOuse is it). BUt you will find some great little homey restaurants in small out of the way towns in Georgia. The Berryman House in Bowman was a real find. Bue Willow in Social Circle is also very good.

[DisgustaTruth]

I thought Coca Cola was invented in LaGrange, GA.. I just know it was not Atlanta.. Asa Candler who bought the company... moved it to Atlanta. Pepsi is also a Southern beverage, invented in New Bern, NC. RC cola was started in Columbus, GA

[JLA]

RC cola and Coca Cola both originated in Columbus. Pemberton was a pharmacist in Columbus at the time when he came up with the original formula for Coca Cola, he sold all rights to Asa Candler and the rest is history. Sort of like Delta Air Lines, which originated in Monroe, LA, not Atlanta, GA. Columbus has got some good down home southern style restaurants, such as Country's BBQ, Ezel's, Wynnton BBQ Pit, 13th Street BBQ, Macon Road BBQ, Chester's, Top Hat Chicken (the original spicy chicken) and Rosehill. These are home grown and have been in business for many years. I believe that their flavor is distinctly Columbus, but I am slightly biased.

[deja-zebbie]

Belle star,

There is a place that sells quite a few different types of muscadines (and I presume "scuplins" as well -- I've always looked for the dark muscadines when we've been there)). It's called Isley's or Ison's and I THINK they do mail order of vines.

Some of the national garden businesses that do all mail order business, I believe sell them as well.

Isley's or Ison's is located in Middle Georgia, sorry, can't remember the locale. They've developed their own varities of muscadines.
Also, you could check with Monrovia on-line to see if they carry scuplins. I've had great success with everything we've tried from Monrovia. You find a local nursery that stocks Monrovia plants and can usually order through them. They are usually carried in real nurseries, not the big box stores with nursery departments.


Good luck
zebbie

[notime362]

Thanks all for the replies. I know I have a mess of great cooking to discover. I spent the weekend In Kingsland and ate plenty at hometown cooking places. Talk about great food. All this great food to eat, and only 20+ years to finish my quest. Thanks so much!!!

[Boca Barb]

Originally Posted by cotton

Think Southern - Think Soul Food!
Everything mentioned is right on. Couple of clarifications ...
Grapes: Muscadines are purple; scuppernongs is a variety of muscadines that are more of a bronze color. They are both grapes, but, as mentioned, don't grow in clusters like most grapes. They are also very large. The skin is tough and not eaten. Boy, are they sweet! Usually they are made into jelly.

It is "streak of lean" also called fat back. It is pork and much like bacon only more fat - rather it is fat from the back of the hog and has just a "streak" of lean running through it. You cannot cook greens, peas or beans without it. It is good for breakfast too.

Grits. Do NOT taste of grits in a resturant until they are "fixed." (A mistake most Northerns made which is why they don't like them.) Add butter and plenty of salt, stir well. If they don't melt in your mouth, add more salt. They will not taste salty. Grits are a staple of breakfast, although they are also good for lunch or dinner. Cheese grits are a must with shrimp and other seafood.

Speaking of seafood. A low-country boil, or frogmore stew, is a wonderful dish of shrimp, sausage, potatoes and corn. Very good. Usually found on the coast where the fish is fresh. Shrimp are served fried, grilled or boiled. Boiled shrimp is just like shrimp cocktail except you get to peel them. Just grab hold of the little legs and twist the shell away. Seafood is always served with hushpuppies (sometimes called corndodgers) which is pretty much fried cornbread. You just pick them up and eat them. Delicious!
Barbeque. Barbeque will be different depending on where you are in the state. In the northern sections, barbeque is more likely to be beef and sliced. It is served with potato salad, cole slaw (just called slaw) and bread.
Mid-state, it is chopped pork, served with Brunswick stew - a "stew" of the pork with some corn. In the southern parts, barbeque is definitely chopped pork served with rice and hash. Never ask what is in the hash... you DON"T want to know. It is served on top of white rice and is to die for! You get potato salad, slaw, and all kinds of vegetables with your barbeque.
Understand that there is barbeque, then there is barbeque. If you get barbecue in a resturant that serves other type foods, it is simply meat with barbeque sauce poured over it. Not a good thing. REAL barbeque is cooked slowly over a pit for hours and hours - usually overnight. It doesn't need any sauce. So when you look for barbeque, look for a place that has an outdoor area where they cook the meat. Sauce in Georgia is usually tomato based. On the coast, it is a mustard or vinegar base.

Biscuits. Real ones - not from a can. While still hot from the over, cut them open and put butter in between the halves. When the butter melts, you can add jelly, jam, perserves, honey or syrup. Make you want to slap your Mama! Also fantastic cut open and covered with rich, homemade pan gravy, also called milk gravy. Biscuits are also good cold as a snack. Now the real biscuit eaters "cut butter." You don't butter your biscuit. You put a little butter (REAL butter, OK? A good biscuit deserves nothing but REAL butter.) on a saucer and beside it, pour a little honey or syrup. Then you commence to cut a tiny sliver of butter and mix it in the syrup, then another little sliver and so on until the butter is gone and the syrup is a mixture of pure gold. Put that on your biscuit a bite at a time and you will think you have died and gone to heaven!!

Red-eye gravy. This is also good with biscuits or grits. After you have fried a piece of ham, you will have fat left in the skillet. Pour a little hot, black coffee into the ham grease and you have red-eye gravy. So named, because it will form what looks like "red eyes" in the gravy.

Cornbread. Cornbread is best made with yellow corn meal and buttermilk and cooked in an iron skillet. There are a number of varieties - cornbread (as mentioned,) muffins, corn sticks, fried corn bread - which is corn bread made into pancakes. These are also called hoe cakes. Cornbread is best eaten hot from the over, buttered. You have to have cornbread with greens, beans or peas, (I think it's a law.) although it goes with any meal. It is not unusual to have biscuits and cornbread for dinner. Cornbread is also great crumbled into a glass of cold sweet milk or buttermilk. It is also good with honey or syrup.

Milk - You have sweet milk and buttermilk.
Tea - If you ask for tea in a resturant, you will get sweet iced tea. If you want tea without sugar, you have to request 'unsweetened tea.' If you want hot tea, you have to specify that. Tea is SWEET - and I mean SWEET! It may be served to you with a green sprig in it. That is not a weed - it is mint and gives it a delightful flavor. It is often also servied with lemon.

Jelly. Folks who make their own jelly are proud of it. Never, ever put a knife in the jelly! Spoon it out with a spoon. Trust me.

Fried chicken is eaten with the fingers, although you can use a fork to pull meat from the breast before eating. Pork chops can also be eaten with the fingers at a cookout or other informal setting. Ribs are definitely finger food. Unless you are at a formal dinner, it is OK to lick your fingers.

Deviled eggs, pickled beets, pickled peaches and bread and butter pickles are commonly served. This is not even a side dish, but a little accompaniment to the meal. They are all fantastic.

Lunch, dinner and supper. Necessary to keep your meals straight. Breakfast is usually a hearty meal...well, it used to be. Dinner is the big meal of the day. Long ago, this was served at noon, with a light supper, usually left-overs from the noon meal. Now-a-days, folks usually have lunch at noon with a heavier dinner in the evening. You can even have lunch and supper - supper being a sandwich or soup or cereal.

Sweet potatoes are different than yams, but in the south you will hear the terms used interchangeably. Yams are usually referred to when the sweet potatoes are 'candied' - cooked in butter with brown sugar.

For some reason, folks in the Georgia prefer pies to cakes. Pies are made from any and everything. Don't turn up your nose at pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, peanut butter pie until you've tried it.

For a good sampling of real good Georgia food, try the Blue Willow Inn at Social Circle, less than an hour southeast of Atlanta. They have a web page. There are resturants of all different types, but the Blue Willow is the epitome of Georgia cooking.

Wow! I've made myself hungry!
Cotton

So, Can you or anyone tell me if Cumming, Ga. or nearby towns have any Italian Grocers or Deli's?

[cotton]

Disgusta - on this one thing I agree with you - - - Blue Willow Inn in Social Circle is, indeed, very good.

JLA - love you list but what are "scrambled dogs"?

[JLA]

A Scrambled Dog is a cut up Chili Dog, with onions, Ketchup and a little hot sauce and sometimes topped off with crackers. If you are in the area, you can get one at Dingle Wood Pharmacy in Midtown or any of the older local cafés. I have never known it to be served no where else except Columbus.