http://www.hushpuppynation.com Devoted to the history and culture of Southern food. Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:41:59 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en After the hogs had fattened themselves up during the spring, summer and fall, they were slaughtered during a weather-dependent period that ran from late autumn to early January, depending on the geographic area. The outside temperature had to be cold enough so that the meat wouldn’t spoil before it was used or cured ... http://www.hushpuppynation.com/hog-killin-time/ In the economic uncertainty immediately following the Civil War, some newly freed slaves remained on the plantations of their former owners, working the land as tenant farmers for a share of the crop. They were joined by a new underclass of desperately poor whites, some of who had been marginally poor ... http://www.hushpuppynation.com/sharecropping-the-new-slavery/ Perch, brook trout, catfish, and all small fish are best fried. They should be cleaned, washed well in cold water and immediately wiped dry inside and out with a clean towel, and then sprinkled with salt. Use oil if convenient, as it is better than drippings or lard. Never use butter as it ... http://www.hushpuppynation.com/to-fry-fish/ An excerpt from An Irresistible History of Southern Food by Rick McDaniel, published by The History Press. On March 3, 1791, the newly minted United States government imposed a federal excise tax on stills and distilled spirits. This didn’t set well with the Scotsmen who settled the rugged coves and hollows of the Appalachian ... http://www.hushpuppynation.com/moonshine/ To one quart of strawberries, add one pound of sugar and  juice of two lemons, mash them and stand aside one hour,  then strain through a fine sieve ; add one quart of water and  freeze. This is enough for eight persons. –Mrs. Charles H. Gibson’s Maryland and Virginia Cook Book. ... http://www.hushpuppynation.com/strawberry-water-ice/ An excerpt from An Irresistible History of Southern Food. Chicken Bog Bog is a casserole or thick stew served in the Lowcountry. If you want to attract a politician in North Carolina, all you have to do is start cooking a pig and at least three people running for office ... http://www.hushpuppynation.com/chicken-bog/ Here are the dates for some upcoming events for food historian and author Rick McDaniel: Sat 9 July 3 pm, Blue Ridge Books, 152 East Main St., Waynesville, NC Sat 23 July 12 Noon,Fiction Addiction Greenville, SC (Offsite Author lunch, advanced reservations required, click here for details and to register) Sat 30 July ... http://www.hushpuppynation.com/rick-mcdaniel-author-events/ An excerpt from An Irresistible History of Southern Food by Rick McDaniel. Ask any Southerner to picture in their mind a lazy summer day, and chances are that vision will include a porch, a rocking chair and a glass of iced tea. So how did a drink made from a plant ... http://www.hushpuppynation.com/how-iced-tea-beca-me-southern/ An excerpt from An Irresistible History of Southern Food by Rick McDaniel. Any Southerner will tell you that the miracle of the loaves and fishes was the only churchsupper in history that didn’t include fried chicken. For those of us who grew up in the post–World War II South, chicken was a ... http://www.hushpuppynation.com/chicken-in-southern-history/ An excerpt from An Irresistible History of Southern Food, copyright 2011by Rick McDaniel Barbecue: Nature’s Most Perfect Food Barbecue is one of the South’s most beloved foods and has long played an important role in the foodways of the region. As much as we Southerners love our country ham, tenderloin biscuits and smothered ... http://www.hushpuppynation.com/barbecue-nature%e2%80%99s-most-perfect-food/