New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-04-12
SOUTHERN DISHES.
THE VARIETY TO BE FOUND IN DIFF
FERENT STATES
HOW HOT BREAD is MADE WHOLESOME. RICE
TOOTHSOME, AND THE SWEET POTATO
IS USED FOR DESSERTS.

An Atlanta correspondent throws some new light
on Southern dishes. She says that many or the
ideas In the minds OF the rest OF the world regard
ing the food OF Southern people are as erroneous as
most English notions relative to the United
States in general The people who have never been
in the South gather these impressions mainly from
Southern stories. and have often been amused al
some Of the questions asked by Northern friends
about Southern cookery. Some OF them nave the
notion that we live on gumbo and planteins others
who happen to be warm admirers OF Uncle Remus
fancy the Southerner keeps up physical life on
possum and sweet potatoes. and still others picture
the Southern table heavy with hotbreads. fried
chicken and hoecake.
"Au these dishes are Southern, II Is true. but the
grrnbo-eater does not know the pleasure to be had
from 'poseum and sweet potatoes, the Nirginian
does not care for rice hominy. while the South
Carollnian eats meal without these delicious
cereals The dishes Indigenous to the South all
have their peculiar localities with the exception. OF
course OF n few that are used generally among
Southern people.
II would say first and foremost that the hot
bread line is the that lies this side OF Mason
and Dixons. Hot bread OF all sorts Is the thing
most peculiar to the South whole and although
II Is often called unwhoesome by Northern people.
GILL wager that any Northerner will become a
nersstent consumer OF all such delights. from the
thnnest Southern battercake TO the tallest NOT Toll
ttrned out by Virginia cook. The not pread par
excellence has It's home In Virginia. ana any COOK
book compiled by a woman Of that State Will bear
out this statement The light rolls. rusks. spice
breads. mullins and wafles OF the Virginia woman
are famous and she has. too. many original and
delicious ways of preparing fish, crabs and oysters
The beaten biscuit Is essentially southern Dreau'
and Georgia has the credit OF approprlaung us
origin to herself but Kentucky. Tennessee Ala
bama South Carolina and all the rest nave peateh
biscuits on their bills OF fare.
..Tba uses of two vegetables, rice ana sweet po-
taoes give an insight into certain salient points OF
Southern cooking. Inc sweet potato Is uSeu
throughout the South. and every day IN the winter
the Southern dinner table contains this succuient
root The Northerrer expatiates upon the various
fashions of preparing Irish potatoes. but after they
are all told the sweet potato goes on developing It's
infinite possibilities Beginning with their natural
condition. one finds them roasted In their jackets IN
the ashes comes the fried sweet potato cut IN
thick lenCthwise slices and Drowned In boiling lard
Then follows a dish more elaborate: The potatoes
are boiled and sliced. put in pan with sugar put; put;
ter bits OF lemon and spices glass Oh WATER anu
baked delicate brown. -, ,r,,
delicious Southern desserts-a potato custard, whicn
be simply topess pie mixed Win sugar addad
butter and be put in rich crust or can nave aaaeu
TO the mashed mixture sherry wine. eggs. putter.
fine sugar and ,h snn PUT Brown n and
served to tickle unacquainted palates win peasahs
was one OF the prime desserts Of my grandmother.
and the preparation thereof was ever aemsno %
not leave the big yellow bowl minute without the
risk of pllage The boiled sweet potatoes are sliced
crp pastry am Bits of butter sprnkns Of brown
sugar and cloves a glass OF brandy and layer OF
peach preserves complete the dish. which ii placed
The making Of the old-fashioned potato pone is a
or oven this dessert takes quite as long to bake as
It is made eggs 81 s ssga spes and
Orleans moasses When # done ANA sS' Rro
o,har lighter and even better potato pudding !
made much in the same way only no molasses and
ps erS Srd E ho with hard potato
ia made OF the mashed sweet potatoes milk, eggs
sna way In Cooking leg OF pork the sweet
tatoes are baked around 1t Just as the Northerner
se ns commody and the southern child nds
ms souihener knows the value Of rice as an ar
ticle ne Of Diet and while Southern cooking is
that rice is lighter and digest!be than any
other vegetable in the world The SsRan nss who
ee Of ,1e diet and the southerner has found
feet S bo ea though It
p ons IN many others There Should be
ssns sar vi be pe 's
and as grain can be mashed between the
sci put on the back OF the stove with its lid tilted
so that the rice steam until each grain Is per-
fesy aons the arS rice is boiled follow many other
possibilities Tina, which is sts oyer from dinner
means that the vegetable Is mixed with milk. eggs
and a lump OF butter and baked brown. Rice pud-
ding is made In the North also. but rice waffies.
the delicious rice breads and rice croquettes are all
dishes that belong exclusively to the South. The
chicken and vegetable soup OF the South has rice IN
IT, and OF course. no gunbo recipe Is without It,
II is n peculiar thing that. although there are
dozen different cornbreads made in the South, the
on.y ones with sugar In them are mace by south
Carolina cooks and those on the coast country OF
Georgia. .,. -. l., a.
State OF Louisiana. 1t is large, red banana unlike
those Imported tropical countries and on every
break fast table In NewOreans one finds II In long
amber slices fried in butter and sprinked with
sugar II is altogether the dantest bit OF cooked
fruit to be found in the Southern tropics. That
odd preparation called gumbo fet consists simply
and Creole children SO out into the woods to dig
Ga roots FOR peddllng their mothers With