I learned that one of my black neighbors was preparing a fund-raising barbecue to benefit his church. As a part of the meal, he was cooking a pot of old-fashioned country hash. He told me that only two people know the recipe for his hash and they learned it from his grandfather. Country hash is made from finely ground beef and chicken, along with vegetables and spices. The recipe is then cooked overnight in a large cast iron wash pot.
Most rural families have their own recipe for the secondary ingredients.
Hash from each family will have slight differences, but the basic flavor of beef and chicken is always predominant. While the hash served to me was cooked from a secret recipe, it was similar to that cooked by members of my own family. So was the barbecue and the homemade cake. And it was logical that it would be so. After all, traditional rural Southerners, black and white, share a similar culture.