Christmas Dinner in the Appalachian Mountains - Adventures in Food!

American Indians knew how to survive hard times. They learned to forage for wild plants, and how to grow, process, store and eat corn. Wild game was important and they used every part, out of necessity, even the bone marrow and intestines. The fur was used as blankets and clothes, gun parts were fashioned from antlers and bear fat was used for frying food. These skills were passed on to the first settlers.

Hunting and Trapping!

The most popular animals hunted and trapped were: rabbits, raccoons, opossums, white-tail deer and turkeys. In Tennessee today, opossum might still be grilled and barbequed, or cooked, fried and then baked with potatoes and apples and served with cornbread.

Venison and Bear!

How about a feast from the eastern band of the Cherokee Nation - and from recipes dating back to the 1850's. In the small town of Cherokee, North Carolina, bear could, most likely, still be on any menu. Cooked with onions, then seasoned, it is said, by some, to resemble the taste of pork. A venison stew might be served along with a bread made from boiled chestnuts and corn meal, then wrapped in corn husks to bake. Fatback is the traditional fat used to season most foods.

Liver Mush!

Christmas dinner in Shelby, North Carolina, might have liver mush, made by cooking pork liver, with the fatty parts of head meat and skin. Cooked until tender, the meat is then ground into a paste or mush. Corn meal, onions, sweet spices and black pepper is added. This mix is then formed into a loaf pan and baked. The loaf is sliced and pan-fired (or deep-fat fried), and eaten on a sandwich, with grape jelly, mustard or mayonaise. Liver mush dates back to the first settlers.

Chicken-Fried Squirrel!

How about a squirrel Christmas dinner from West Virginia. For the delicacy of chicken-fried squirrel, first soak the fresh meat overnight in salt water. Drain well, dip in buttermilk and egg, coat with seasoned flour and fry in bacon fat. Some say it tastes like pork shoulder!

Wasp Larva - Raw or Toasted!

Then, on to Ashevill, North Carolina, to forage for Christmas Dinner. Chestnuts could be a food source. Wasps lay eggs in the nuts and the larva eat their way out. Crack open the nuts and eat the larva raw, or toast. Mushrooms are many and varied in this area, and some types sell as gormet foods, for $25, or more, a pound. Look for some "hen of the woods" to grill! This mushroom grows in clusters around trees and resembles the layered feathers of a ruffled hen. Beefsteak mushrooms might be pickled in red wine vinegar, and for some after-dinner coffee, search out some Chaga mushroom. Look for a growth that looks like petrified, rock-hard, burnt wood. Grind this and use for coffee.

Enjoy some good food in good company!

Sources:

http://uwf.edu-Origins of Southern Food
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaga_mushroom
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grifola_frondosa
tvlistings.zap2it.com/...foods...andrew-zimmern-appalachia/EP008994700065