Tennessee foods (Springfield, Crossville: work, home, farm)

[JMT]

Originally Posted by frbenson

Not to forget chess pie, fried green tomatoes, collard greens, hush puppies, and hog jowls.

I had a friend from Cookeville who was in the Pillsbury Bake-off. She won the Tennessee competition with her chess pie. She got to the national bake-off and the judges had no idea what chess pie was. grrrrrr

I love biscuits and CHOCOLATE gravy!

[Queen1972]

Well just call me a yankee! LOL, I have no idea what is chess pie or hog jowls, explain? Chocolate gravy???

[dreamofmonterey]

hog jowls. lol. saw them for the first time at Ingles.

[alleycat]

Originally Posted by Queen1972

Well just call me a yankee! LOL, I have no idea what is chess pie or hog jowls, explain? Chocolate gravy???

Chess pie is like pecan pie . . . without the pecans! ;-)

I'm not helping, am I?

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Queen1972

Well just call me a yankee! LOL, I have no idea what is chess pie or hog jowls, explain? Chocolate gravy???

The first time someone told me about biscuits and chocolate gravy, I thought it sounded disgusting. I imagined chicken gravy mixed with chocolate.

But actually, the chocolate "gravy" is more like a pudding: make a white sauce (butter, white flour, milk), add sugar, then cocoa powder. Pour it over a hot buttered biscuit, and it's heaven!

[alleycat]

A few more (at least where I came from):

turnip greens
sweet potatoes
potato salad
white beans with ham seasoning
fried squash (seasoned with bacon!)
sweet corn
green beans
macaroni and cheese (believe it or not)

If you really want to get some southern recipes, a subscription to Southern Living, or buying one of their cookbooks, would be a good idea. Most of the recipes in SL actually come from people in the area.

[northcountrygirl]

Originally Posted by alleycat

A few more (at least where I came from):

turnip greens
sweet potatoes
potato salad
white beans with ham seasoning
fried squash (seasoned with bacon!)
sweet corn
green beans
macaroni and cheese (believe it or not)

If you really want to get some southern recipes, a subscription to Southern Living, or buying one of their cookbooks, would be a good idea. Most of the recipes in SL actually come from people in the area.

Up here in frozen country we eat most of these things too! Except for Turnip greens. Up here we eat fiddle head greens. I've never had White beans are they anything like "Butter Beans"? I've also never had fried squash but it sounds delicious!!!

[tricker]

White beans are smaller like pinto beans but not as dense. Does that make sense. Pecan Pie has to be the best Tn/southern food. A friend of mine makes a chocolate pecan pie that is sinful.

[alleycat]

I didn't mean those things weren't eaten elsewhere, just that they are sort of a "southern tradition" where I grew up. Most of them are also cooked in a particularly southern way as well.

White beans are like navy beans but larger (actually, I prefer navy beans cooked with a small amount of onions and oregano). Butter beans (lima beans) are big down here too.

[northcountrygirl]

Originally Posted by alleycat

I didn't mean those things weren't eaten elsewhere, just that they are sort of a "southern tradition" where I grew up. Most of them are also cooked in a particularly southern way as well.

White beans are like navy beans but larger (actually, I prefer navy beans cooked with a small amount of onions and oregano). Butter beans (lima beans) are big down here too.

Oh! I know you didn't mean that. I was just letting you know that country food seems to be country food no matter where you are with some differences. While we're on the subject (kinda) while I was in TN last week I made a point of trying fired catfish. We have a similiar fish up here called a "Horn Pout" that I fished with a bamboo pole all the time I was growing up. However, these fish are no where as big as catfish are from what I'm hearing. The biggest horn pout I ever caught was about 12" long. I'm hearing and reading that catfish can weigh up to 80 lbs? Is this true??? I'm having a hard time picturing a Horn Pout weighing 80 lbs. If I had pulled that out of the water I would have had a stroke Maybe the cold weather up here stunts the poor Horn Pouts growth? The horn pout looks exactly like a mini catfish. I have to tell ya though I liked the catfish better. It's sweeter.