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The Journal of Arkansas Foodways Issue 4, 2014

Young boy uprooting a large onion, Wilson, Mississippi County, Arkansas, 1939. 2 Arkansauce Issue 4, 2014

Contents Issue 4, 2014

Arkansauce: The Journal Postmaster: 3 Welcome to Arkansauce! of Arkansas Foodways is Send address changes Timothy G. Nutt published by the Special to University of Arkansas Collections Department of Libraries, Special Collections 4 From Railroads to Yeast Rolls the University of Arkansas Department, 365 N. McIlroy Kat Robinson Libraries. Avenue, Fayetteville, Arkan- The mission of the Special sas 72701. 5 Hinderliter’s Grog Shop Collections Department is Christie Ison to collect, organize, preserve, Journal Staff: and provide access to re- Kat Robinson, guest edi- 6 The Saga of the Tomato in Arkansas search materials document- tor, is the communications Michael Dougan ing the state of Arkansas and manager for the Arkansas its role in regional, national, Department of Parks and 9 Salsa and international communi- Tourism’s tourism division. Mary Twedt ties. A popular food and travel Other publications may writer, she travels around 10 The Black Heart of the Kitchen reprint from this journal Arkansas and the South Eric Francis without express permission, searching for good stories, provided correct attribution tales and the next great 12 Williams Tavern Restaurant is given to the author, article little restaurant. Kat regu- Kat Robinson title, issue number, date, larly writes about her food page number, and to adventures on her popular 14 The Magnolia Bake Shop Arkansauce: The Journal food blog “Tie Dye Travels Kat Robinson of Arkansas Foodways. with Kat Robinson.” She is Reprinted articles may not also the author of two books, 16 Mamaw, Nonnie and Me be edited without permis- Arkansas Pie: A Delicious Debbie Arnold sion. Tearsheets must be Slice of the Natural State mailed to the editor within and Classic Eateries of the 17 Mamaw’s Chicken Dumplings two weeks of reprinting. Ozarks and Arkansas River Debbie Arnold Neither the University Valley. of Arkansas nor the editors 18 Peter Pasquale and the Arkansas Tamale assumes any responsibility Timothy G. Nutt is head Kat Robinson for statements, whether of of the Special Collections fact or opinion, made by the Department and rare books 20 Hog Killing Time in Arkansas contributors. librarian, University of Ar- Cindy Grisham Correspondence should kansas Libraries, e-mail: be sent to Timothy G. Nutt, [email protected]. 22 Social Media and the Changing Head of Special Collections, Food Landscape at the publication office: Design: Michael Roberts University of Arkansas Libraries, Special Collections Joy Aprile Caffrey, design 23 Featured Cookbook Department, 365 N. McIlroy and production. Avenue, Fayetteville, Arkan- sas 72701, phone: 479-575- On the Cover: Young boy uprooting a large onion, Back Featured Menu from the 5577, e-mail: [email protected], Cover Wiederkehr’s Weinkeller Restaurant Web site: http://libinfo.uark. Wilson, Mississippi County, edu/SpecialCollections/ Arkansas, 1939. Photograph news/arkansauce/. by Jack Pryor. Courtesy: Arkansas Giant Collection, Image 4037, Special Collec- tions, University of Arkansas Libraries, Fayetteville. Arkansauce Issue 4, 2014 3

Welcome to Arkansauce 2014! By Timothy G. Nutt Special Collections Department Head

Welcome to another It is gratifying to learn how much people across the edition of Arkansauce. country enjoy reading Arkansauce and how their ap- For this issue, we are petite for it is insatiable, so to speak. Arkansauce will fortunate to have Kat remain free to subscribers, but donations to Special Robinson as guest editor. Collections to help offset the design, printing, and Kat has a stellar repu- mailing costs are welcome. tation as a food writer As usual, before this issue is even finished we and has traveled around have already started planning the next issue (our Arkansas documenting fifth!). So, if you have ideas please contact me. I al- our unique food heritage, ways enjoy hearing from you. some of which is presented in this issue of Arkansauce. I know you will enjoy learning about the ori- Timothy G. Nutt, photograph by gin of the Delta tamale as Russell Cothren. much as I did. That article caused me to think about the numerous settlements —Tim Nutt of ethnic colonies established around the state from the 1870s to the 1920s, and, especially, how those im- migrants brought their foodways to Arkansas. There were two immigrant colonies established in Perry County: Italian and German. Being of Ger- man descent, I always expected to eat German food Call for Menu Donations growing up, but my family never did. Instead, my As a part of its foodways initiative, Special Collections is small community of German Catholics would come seeking to build a collection of Arkansas menus. While we are especially seeking older menus, recent ones are together and eat spaghetti. It wasn’t bad spaghetti— welcome too. We are looking for: in fact it was quite good—but it did not make any sense, especially considering there was an Italian ● Restaurant menus settlement about 10 miles away. I believed as a child ● Menus for special events that since the Germans of Perry County made spa- ● Menus for family meals, such as descriptions ghetti, the Italians of Perry County should make sau- of meals in handwritten letters erkraut, but that was not the case. It was all very con- fusing to a 10-year-old boy who thought too much. If you wish to donate a menu, please mail it to or contact Timothy G. Nutt, Department Head, University of There is a wonderful dissertation written by Diane Arkansas Libraries, Special Collections Department, 365 Tebbetts on the foodways of the German and Italians N. McIlroy Avenue, Fayetteville, AR 72701, phone: 479- of Perry County. I highly recommend it. 575-8443, e-mail: [email protected]. Kat gathered “foodies” to write on other topics just as interesting, including one on the Hinderliter Grog Shop on the grounds of the Historic Arkansas Museum. There are also articles on hog killing, the ubiquitous cast iron skillet, and even one on the to- mato in Arkansas history. Hopefully, you won’t be disappointed. Although this journal is an annual, we receive comments on and requests for it throughout the year. 4 Arkansauce Issue 4, 2014 From Railroads to Yeast Rolls: How Transportation Affected Arkansas Foodways By Kat Robinson

rkansas, for being the Within you will find tales of fam- smallest state west of ily shared by Debbie Arnold. Mary the Mississippi, has a Twedt elaborates on dabbling in sal- diverse culinary cul- sa, while Cindy Grisham picks up on tureA that is unheralded and distinct the tradition of using every bit of the from the rest of the United States. A hog “but the squeal.” Michael Dou- patchwork of native foodstuffs, gan covers tomatoes, while Christie meshed with the cooking traditions Morgan Ison looks back at the his- of dozens of cultures, has helped tory of Arkansas’s oldest known res- shape the state’s tastes and prefer- taurant and Eric Francis puts a shine ences; and, the key to it all lies in on the heritage of cast iron. how we got here—transportation. We’ll look back at the history of The state’s native foods range the state’s oldest bakery, the Magno- from nuts, gourds, squash and lia Bake Shop—and the history of the beans, and a plethora of fish and Arkansas Delta Tamale preserved wildlife. Corn was first brought here today in Helena-West Helena. And Kat Robinson by migrating tribes about one thou- we’ll look to the future with Michael sand years ago. Yet the staple grain Roberts and cast a thought on how the state is most identified with (and food ideas are transported by the in- social media shapes the restaurant the one we produce more of than any ternet in the blink of an eye. landscape today. other state)—rice—was only entered The twentieth century really did There are far more tales to share into commercial production two cen- change everything about how our concerning our unique foodways. I turies ago. foodways progressed here in Ar- encourage you to share yours and to Boats brought immigrants up kansas—bringing in new products help record others’ before they fade the Mississippi and Arkansas, White and ideas, sure, but also bringing into today’s homogenized culinary and Black and Cache rivers to settle first a diner culture and then a de- landscape. here. Horses drew others across the pendency on fast food that marked plains and through the swamplands the changing methods of feeding Kat Robinson is a food and travel of the Delta and through the passes ourselves in the century’s last four writer. Her recent publications include of the Ouachita and Ozark moun- decades. What chefs today struggle Arkansas Pie: A Delicious Slice of the tains. Railroads were built, and they with when attempting to sort out an Natural State and Classic Eateries of delivered whole populations to new Arkansas cuisine is sorting through the Ozarks and Arkansas River Val- verdant, receptive land to farm and the near-obliteration of many of our ley. She also serves as Communications grow communities. traditions thanks to the ease and Manager in the Tourism Division at Ar- Everything changed, though, simplicity of ordering at a window, kansas Department of Parks and Tour- with three twentieth century inven- counter or table rather than pulling ism. tions. First, the car drew people out a pot to cook. across the land on an individual Fortunately, the journal Arkan- basis, making rapid transit (even at sauce is here. This journal, now in early speeds of 20 miles an hour) its fourth iteration, aims to preserve available to anyone heading almost these foodways and to seed the in- anywhere. The transportation of spiration of others to preserve these information changed with the explo- ideals while their original traditions sion of radio and television—and to- and the cooks that continue to prac- day, in the twenty-first century, our tice them still exist. Arkansauce Issue 4, 2014 5 Hinderliter’s Grog-Shop and the Steamboats of the Arkansas Frontier By Christie Ison ll the news, all the scan- ing the owner’s family dal, all the politics, and and slaves but also the all the fun. . . .” 1 Cap- many guests and the tain John Marryat, a surrounding residents “gentleman“A adventurer” of the 1830s, who stopped in for a so described the raucous taverns dot- drink or meal. ted along his westward travels, the The cold brick inte- city centers of frontier life usually es- rior of the kitchen could tablished near a river. As weary trav- not be further from elers came off their keelboats and our modern restaurant steamboats, they found the tavern, or kitchens of stain-less grog-shop, a place to catch up on gos- steel, but also harkens sip, food and a bit of sleep, if boarding back to methods coming was available. back into favor again: Interior view of Hinderliter’s Grog-Shop as interpreted at the Historic Today, one of these grog-shops still open hearth cooking, Arkansas Museum. Photograph by Grav Weldon. stands on one of the busiest corners of whole foods, fresh herbs modern downtown Little Rock. The and cast iron. Whole game turned over boat of epicurean delights and choice now quiet, white-boarded log house the generous fire, and large stew pots liquors from larger cities, especially rests, heavy with untold stories, as the swung over the heat held by swing-out New Orleans and Cincinnati. oldest standing restaurant in the city arms. Tavern meals may have included on the corner of Third and Cumber- Little is known about the menus meats and fresh vegetables from the land streets. served at Hinderliter’s tavern, but area “Little Rock Market,” a farmers’ The building is known as Hinder- some lowly standards of the time are market of sorts supplied by area gar- liter’s Grog-Shop and is part of Historic safe to assume. Early Arkansas ex- deners and butchers. The market also Arkansas Museum, formerly the Ar- plorer Friedrich Gerstäcker, a German likely featured delicacies brought in by kansas Territorial Restoration. The site author writing his way through the steamboat such as wrapped hams and is interpreted to visitors as it is thought western frontier, noted that “maize other meats, pickled fish and oysters, to have stood in 1833, with several bread, coffee and bacon” were the dried fruits, fresh cranberries and ap- roles in the community: restaurant and typical elements of “breakfast in this ples, loaf sugar and even ketchup. boarding for travelers and long-term part of the world.” Cornbread and Today, visitors walk into Jesse guests, post office and news center. It pork most likely made reappearances Hinderliter’s world on a daily basis even served as the official commu- in the day’s remaining meals. at Historic Arkansas Museum, meet- nity meeting place for politics and an- It may be even more interesting ing costumed actors portraying his nouncements, causing some of the mu- to consider how Hinderliter’s German wife or another area resident. The seum’s early preservationists to refer to heritage affected the meals served at stories told there often start with a it as the “territorial capitol.” the tavern. There are no records to faraway steamboat and end up right As was typical of the period, the support the idea, but it is very likely at Hinderliter’s table. While he likely establishment’s kitchen stands sepa- that potatoes, stewed meats, sausag- did not run the fanciest grog-shop rately due to the frequency of fire, es and similar heavy fare prevailed. in Little Rock, his work as one of the usually started by the petticoats of la- One can imagine his wife, Sophia, city’s earliest restaurateurs easily fits dies, often slaves, tending to the cook- instructing their two slaves on how into today’s growing culinary tapestry. ing. The large brick structure stands these dishes were prepared. just to the north of Jesse Hinderliter’s More frequent steamboat traffic Christie Ison, an independent culi- tavern. It was a bit larger than those in the 1830s and 1840s brought more nary instructor, blends her passions for for the surrounding homes of the pe- visitors to Hinderliter and similar es- cooking and writing in her blog Fancy- riod, having not only the task of feed- tablishments, also bringing an infu- PantsFoodie.com. Ison thanks Swannee sion of foodstuffs from the outside Bennett, Deputy Director of Historic Ar- 1 See C. B. Marryat, A Diary in America: With Remarks on Its Institutions, Series Two. NY: world. Many similar establishments kansas Museum for providing informa- Colyer, 1839. advertised their recent restocking by tion for this article. 6 Arkansauce Issue 4, 2014 The Sad Saga of the Tomato in Arkansas, or, How the Red Gold became Pink Before Expiring By Michael B. Dougan

n 1893 the United States Su- French and Spanish colonial period, In 1892 J. T. Bunch preme Court in the case of even if no recipes have survived. Nix v. Hedden held that for In fact, it would seem that the well- brought into the Brinkley purposes of taxation, the to- known prejudice against the tomato Argus office what the mato,I a known botanical fruit, was was New England-centered. The ear- a vegetable. The decision has often liest Southern almanacs gave lessons venerable W. B. Folsom been ridiculed, but the unanimous on tomato culture, and seeds provid- called “one of the largest decision reflected real life conditions ed by commercial growers figured while symbolically demonstrating into the newspaper advertisements tomatoes that we ever one aspect of the complex history of of territorial Arkansas. The Shak- saw.” It weighed one the tomato. ers, a religious group with advanced Although the Spanish conquis- ideas on dancing, were pioneering pound fourteen ounces tadores brought smallpox and other seedsmen, and in Little Rock L. and and came from Ponderosa diseases to Mexico from the Euro- W. R. Gibson regularly advertised “a Afro-Asian disease pool, they car- General Assortment of Fresh Garden seed. ried back what in the native Nahuatl Seed, put up last fall, at Shakertown, language was called the tomatl. Ky.” in the form of catsup, with the daily This edible “wolf’s peach” not only Albert Pike, whose motto at the food.” Catsup, to use the American reached Europe but also went to the Little Rock Arkansas Advocate was, spelling, was derived from a pre- Philippines and took root in the Ca- “Digest things rightly, touching the tomato Chinese soy sauce which ribbean colonies. In 1753 Linnaeus weal of the Common,” supported became by the nineteenth century bestowed upon these small red and the plant editorially. His 1835 en- one of the favorite ways to preserve yellow fruits closely kin to the potato dorsement included reprinting high- the tomato. Pike made no mention the Latin name Solanum lycopersti- lights of a speech by Dr. John Cook of any prejudice in Arkansas against cum. By that time the plant originally Bennett, Professor of Midwifery and the tomato but instead endorsed us- grown for decoration had also begun the Diseases of Women, Children, ing “the vegetable” to treat “that dis- to be eaten despite its membership in Hygiene and Acclimatement from tressing malady the Liver Complaint,” the “deadly” nightshade family. The Willoughby University in Ohio. Ben- and offered additional medical tes- first published recipes appeared in nett, who was more famous for his timonies: “The ease with which the Spain in 1692, and cultivation spread, later involvement with the Mormons, Tomato is raised places it within notably to Italy and France. The first claimed that the tomato was “one of the reach of every family, and a few known French recipe in 1795 was for the most powerful deobstruents of plants in the corner of the garden a sort of tomato paste, and the pomme the Materia Medica.” In addition, it will not only furnish a cheap and d’amour showed up prominently in was capable of treating liver disease, abundant luxury for the table, but the markets. From the English Ca- arresting “diarrheoa,” resolving indi- may also save a good many visits ribbean colony of Antigua came A gestion, and worked to prevent Chol- from the doctor, and thereby consid- Colonial Plantation Cookbook; The Re- era. Persons moving west should eat erably whittle down that monstrum ceipt Book of Harriot Pinckney Horry tomatoes in order to avoid “those horrendum, his bill.” (1770), offering a recipe for stewed violent attacks to which almost all Pike’s advice was surely fol- tomatoes. unacclimated persons are liable.” lowed. In June 1860 Clarrisa Dun- Hence, there is every reason to Dr. Bennett concluded by assert- lap from rural Ouachita County in- believe that tomatoes were grown ing that “citizens in general should formed her sister in Alabama that and eaten in Arkansas during the make use of it, either raw, cooked, or she had “all kinds of vegetables I Arkansauce Issue 4, 2014 7

Perry Brand Tomatoes Label, ca. 1915. The cannery was located in between the towns of Fourche (which is misspelled on the label) and Bigelow in Perry County. Courtesy: Buford Suffridge. beleave [sic] except cucumbers & to- important, tomatoes figured largely Housekeepers (1891) which contained matoes & will soon have them.” Ap- because their acidic content made only one recipe for tomatoes, with parently she either relied on another them good candidates for the water the Stamps Presbyterian Cook Book of person for seeds or planned to get boiling method. 1915, that gave instructions for can- them commercially. She mentioned The early twentieth century saw ning fresh tomatoes, and featured tomatoes again in 1860 and 1867. an exponential rise in local canning fresh tomatoes baked and stuffed, Much can be gleaned from Des companies. Arkansas was home to and used in spaghetti, chow chow, Arc Citizen editor John C. Morrill who eight concerns in 1890, 34 in 1900, and chili sauces. However, a tomato in 1859 was delighted when Thomas and 51 in 1925. In 1911 Ohio packer salad recipe called for using gelatin. B. Phoebus presented him with “four Frank Van Camp even attempted Seaman A. Knapp, a major figure tomatoes, partially grown, which (unsuccessfully) to buy up the fu- in the creation of the rice industry weighed three pounds;” the largest tures market in tomatoes. Packers in Arkansas, also contributed to the weighed one pound three ounces. canned “fresh, whole tomatoes,” but twentieth-century tomato explosion The seed, Morrill explained, came catsup figured prominently because when in 1907 he championed rural from California, and the editor, who cost conscious companies used less development by starting Boys’ Corn saved seed, planned “to raise the than perfect (spoiled and wormy) to- Clubs. And he urged his audiences to largest tomatoes in the State, and matoes, added large amounts of sea- engage females: “In the United States take the premium at our next Coun- sonings to cover the taste deficiency, the art of cooking is mainly a lost art. ty Fair.” Across the nation county and topped it off by adding sodium There are communities where not to fairs helped spread food and plant benzoate, a German-discovered pre- be dyspeptic is to be out of fashion.” awareness. servative, which retarded the inevi- His 1909 speech in Aiken, South Meanwhile the post-Civil War table spoilage. Many canners added Carolina, prompted Marie Samu- period ushered in the golden age of squash and other fillers. The Pure ella Cromer, a rural schoolteacher, seedsmen. Companies held contests Food and Drug Act inaugurated an to start up the Tomato Girls Clubs for new varieties. While seed saving era of federal inspection, and inspec- movement. Their song, sung to the became more scientific, many home tors “will have their eyes on tomato tune of “Three Blind Mice,” empha- growers turned to specific named canners,” a trade journal in 1919 re- sized both agricultural and culture varieties. Alexander W. Livingston’s ported. However, inspection covered connections: “Paragon” came out in 1870 and was only goods that crossed interstate See how we can. See how we can. followed by Peter Henderson’s “Pon- lines. For decades, the tomato became Give us tomatoes and a good derosa.” In 1892 J. T. Bunch brought a leading cash crop, the red gold, for sharp knife— into the Brinkley Argus office what the farmers especially in the Ozarks. Lo- This is the place to get a good venerable W. B. Folsom called “one cal “shade-tree” canners continued wife. of the largest tomatoes that we ever in operation until strong regulations Did ever you see such girls in saw.” It weighed one pound fourteen arrived in the 1950s that were partly your life— ounces and came from Ponderosa the work of large canning companies As the Tomato Club? seed. Bunch secured an affidavit as wanting to eliminate competition. The movement spread across the to its weight and entered it in the The universality of tomatoes by South and the Mabelvale Tomato seed seller’s contest for the largest to- the early twentieth century is evi- Girls Club near Little Rock transi- mato grown in the United States. As dent by contrasting the first known tioned into a home demonstration home canning became increasingly Arkansas cookbook, Chicora’s Help to continued on page 8 8 Arkansauce Issue 4, 2014

Women and girls from a Pulaski County tomato canning club display fresh fruit and preserved items they produced, ca. 1912. Courtesy: Special Collections, University of Arkansas Libraries, Mabelvale Home Demonstration Club Records (MC 1640), "Canning Club Work of Emma Archer," Scrapbook, Image 53. continued from page 7 club following the adoption of the falling to one-half cent a pound. The self-sufficiency, the Home Demon- Smith-Lever Act in 1914. festival was revived in 1951 but soon stration agents supported the Live Curiously “lettuce” was among languished, leaving the field open at Home movement that empha- the items to be canned in addition to Warren (Bradley County), whose sized canning and home gardens. to tomatoes. Presumably today that Pink Tomato Festival began in 1956. But after 1960 country people chose would be called greens. Only in The key man behind the pink instead to shop for their food at su- the twentieth century did fresh un- tomato was Dr. Joe McFerran, who permarkets. In 2005 the Extension cooked lettuce come into its own, died in 2011 at age 94. Long a horti- Service out of Fayetteville discontin- especially in the form of iceberg let- culture professor at the University of ued posting canning information on tuce, a crisp head variety that might Arkansas, McFerran was responsible the Internet. be to lettuce what Twinkies are to for introducing the Bradley, Arkan- The removal proved to be short- baked goods. Shipped on ice from sas Traveler, and Arkansas Traveler lived. A few young people came to California, it appeared in the 1920s, 76. However, the claim is often made recognize that the grocery store to- but it was not until after World War that the Arkansas Traveler was an mato bordered on the inedible, and II that the Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato heirloom rather than a hybrid. In farmers’ markets and the Commu- Sandwich became a staple. Arkansas 1987 the South Arkansas Vine Ripe nity Supported Agriculture (CSA) food writer and tubist Richard Allin, Pink Tomato became the official state movement even turned to older who was so particular on his choices “fruit and vegetable,” but commer- “heirloom” varieties. The post- 2008 of tomatoes and bacon, claimed that cial production of tomatoes fell from garden revival offered real food op- only store-bought white bread could 11,820 tons in 1989 to 4,285 in 2005. tions, both to home gardeners and be used. These developments came at the to small growers serving farmers’ The Great Depression saw the same time when commercial grow- markets. Yet when the federal gov- establishment of community can- ers shifted to the Mountain Red vari- ernment, alarmed by an explosion ning centers armed with pressure eties that shipped better. Mechanical of childhood obesity, attempted to cookers that permitted meat and tomato harvesters, first introduced in alter cafeteria offerings by mandat- other low-acid foods safely to be California, spelled the end of picking ing fresh fruits and vegetables, the canned. The soups and stews invari- fresh, ripe and tasty fruit. Thus the children rejected the offerings. The ably featured tomatoes. So extensive official state fruit stands in similar triumph of industry-produced prod- was the cultivation that Monticello relation to the Arkansas Black apple: ucts as well as supermarket tasteless (Drew County) held a Tomato Festi- something that few have heard about imitations of fruits and vegetables val that ended in 1941. The previous and even fewer have ever tasted. makes it likely that the rich flavors year had been a disaster, with prices During the last phases of rural of the historic tomatoes will survive only on the margins of Arkansas life. Arkansauce Issue 4, 2014 9

But, those of us on these margins re- alize that the tomato provides that scintilla of pleasurable taste that can Farmers’ Market Tomato Salsa elevate an ordinary dish. And how best to eat real toma- Mary Twedt toes? Keep them at room tempera- ture, slice them or quarter them, use 4 cups chopped fresh firm ripe tomatoes salt and pepper sparingly, if at all. 1 cup chopped onion The more adventurous may substi- (either sweet yellow, Vidalia, tute peanut butter for lettuce and -ba or ½ cup purple onion, if it’s real strong) con, but use homemade white bread ½-¾ cup chopped fresh cilantro for best results. 1-2 chopped fresh jalapeños, chopped fine with no seeds Further reading: Salt & pepper to taste Arkansas Advocate (Little Rock), September 4. 1835 Blend and chill. Eat with tortilla chips Dicke, Tom. “Red Gold of the Options : You can easily add chopped green, red, or yellow peppers Ozarks; The Rise and Decline of Tomato Canning, 1885-1955,” Over the last eleven years I have done a show called “Arkansas Cooks” on Agricultural History, LXXIX Little Rock public radio station KUAR, focusing on eclectic cooks all over the state. (Winter 2005), 1-26. The show has been an exciting outlet for me, and I have discovered that the way Engelhardt, Elizabeth. “Canning folks in Arkansas cook differs from chef to chef, yet is similar because of one thing: Arkansans, and most likely many Southern cooks, cook from their heart. From do- Tomatoes, Growing ‘Better ing this show, I also discovered that many of my guests learned how to cook from and More Perfect Women: ‘The their mothers, as was my experience. That, perhaps, is where the heart comes in, Girls’ Tomato Club Movement,” by steadily leaning on our hearts when we cook, the way our mothers showed us. Southern Cultures, XV (Winter I must admit that my mother was not an original Southern cook. She was born 2009), 78-92. in Iowa and did indeed learn to cook from her mother, and she from her mother, Fountain, Sarah M. edit. and ann., but she adapted and learned how to make not only cornbread stuffing but things Sisters, Seeds & Cedars: Redis- from farther south, like salsa and Mexican dishes that taste real good! My husband covering Nineteenth-century Life often says of my mother “Your mom would have been a great cook, if she was through Correspondence in Rural born in the South.” That is a direct quote from husband Paul about my Iowa born Arkansas and Alabama. Conway: mother. You see my husband of nineteen years loves my mother’s cooking, and he UCA Press, 1995 has this fantasy that if she had been “reared” in the South, she could have been so Martin, Oscar Baker. The Demon- much better! stration Work; Dr. Seaman A. My Southern advantage came in when my family moved to Little Rock when I Knapp’s Contribution to Civiliza- was only nine years old. I had already been cooking with my mom since I was four tion. Boston: The Stratford Co., or five. I started early. However, my real love for cooking came around the time we 1921 moved to the South. I vividly remember the transition from bland northern “Yan- Nix v. Hedden. 149 U.S. 304 (1893) kee” food to the extreme flavors that lit up my palate in the South. The best story Smith, Andrew F. The Saintly Scoun- is the first time my family ate out after moving to Arkansas, at Browning’s Mexi- drel: The Life and Times of Dr. can Restaurant in the Heights neighborhood of Little Rock. The only person in our John Cook Bennett. Urbana and family of six who had ever eaten spicy food of any kind was my father Harlan. He Chicago: University of Illinois had been stationed in Texas in the military. The rest of us had never had anything Press, 1971. spicier than salt and pepper on our baked potatoes. My three brothers and I were University of Arkansas, Division on fire after my father dared us to take a bite of salsa. We must have gone through of Agriculture, Research and three pitchers of water while my mother scolded my dad for the dare. I remember my mouth hanging open as I watched people asking for seconds of that “fire in a Extension; Cooperative Exten- salsa bowl.” sion Service, “Tomato,” www. Forty-plus years later, my whole family eats spicy food just like everyone else, arhomeandgarden.org/fruits_ except my mom who never got used to it. Now every summer when the tomatoes nuts_vegs/.../tomatoes.htm. get ripe and the cilantro is still fresh, I make my first batch of Farmers’ Market To- mato Salsa, and I make her one with no jalapeños. So for all you Arkansas Cooks Michael B. Dougan is emeritus pro- out there, life is too short to eat bad food, so eat it with great people, people you fessor of history at Arkansas State Uni- love; it will taste so much better! versity. An avid gardener since youth, Mary Twedt has hosted KUAR’s “Arkansas Cooks,” a weekly radio program, for over Dougan often writes on horticultural a decade. She is also a contributor to the Twedt Family Cookbook. topics. He and his wife, Carol, live in Jonesboro. 10 Arkansauce Issue 4, 2014 The Black Heart of the Kitchen By Eric Francis

hen I left home af- cuits, cakes, cookies, ter college, I took cobblers, whatever with me my moth- you wanted to adapt er’s love and her them to.” cast Wiron skillet. So month after Unpretentious, utilitarian, and a month, Ragsdale lustrous black that comes from de- invented the reci- cades of proper seasoning, it was a pes that his Scouts staple of her kitchen and has become would use on their the bedrock of mine. There’s almost campouts. He didn’t nothing I won’t cook within its 10- have any prior expe- inch span (though for big crowds, rience to speak of, so I’ll haul out its 14-inch big brother I there was a lot of ex- got a few years back), and there’s no perimentation. cooking surface that is beyond it: the “Sometimes in stovetop, the oven, the grill, an open our troop, if we had fire. four or five patrols While Arkansas’s native peoples we’d give each other managed for untold millennia with- the same recipe and out cast iron cookware, I’ll wager see how it turned that ironmongery has been used out,” he said, “or to whip up vittles in Arkansas ever give each one dif- since the first settlers crossed the Big ferent recipes and Muddy and followed our namesake they would compare river or some other waterway up into them among them- the state’s interior. Tough and versa- selves.” tile, it is exactly what you needed to Eventually he survive on the frontier. decided to put to- As a matter of fact, the cast iron gether a list of the Dutch oven is even the state’s histor- recipes and some in- ic cooking vessel. One of the people structions for using behind that designation is John G. John G. and De De Ragsdale at a Dutch Oven Cooking demonstration, the Dutch oven into Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, 1988. Courtesy: John G. and De Ragsdale, Jr., a former El Doradoan De Ragsdale Papers (MC 1459), Special Collections, University of a book. Dutch Oven now living in Texas, who back in the Arkansas Libraries. Cooking premiered in 1970s published Dutch Oven Cooking, 1973 and marked its now in its fourth edition with more The cooking vessel of choice was 40th anniversary this year. He fol- than 350,000 copies sold. But Rags- the cast iron Dutch oven—wide, tall- lowed it up in 2004 with Dutch Ov- dale wasn’t a chef looking to gain sided, three-legged, with a lid sport- ens Chronicled: Their Use in the United fame and glory; rather, he was an oil- ing a tall lip to hold coals on top. States. man trying to ensure he got a good He selected it because it had an ad- It has been a couple of years meal on certain weekends. vantage over all the other campfire since Ragsdale has exercised his own “Back about 50 years ago, I inher- kitchen standards. Dutch oven skills. He keeps a few ited a Boy Scout troop and the boys “You can bake in them,” Ragsdale around, although most of what he had not been trained well in cook- explained. “You can cook in skillets, collected over the years—dozens and ing,” said Ragsdale, who spent his and we’ve cooked in gallon tin cans dozens, dating back as far as about career as an engineer with Lion Oil on canoe trips when we were in one 1790—were donated to the Historic and as a private consultant. “A cou- canoe and didn’t want to carry a lot Arkansas Museum in Little Rock and ple of us decided to start on an ad- of equipment. But Dutch ovens were the Plantation Agriculture Museum venture to instruct them in cooking.” something we could bake in—bis- in Scott. Although he does not have Arkansauce Issue 4, 2014 11

a favorite recipe, he can tell you what outfits were eager to fill the void for stats. Then there was cast iron’s par- he’s cooked more of in a Dutch oven what was known as “castings” and lor trick: seasoning. than anything else: biscuits, espe- sold by the pound, he said. “To make a skillet non-stick, you cially when he was feeding crowds “Go to the University of Arkan- had to season it so when you cooked, of visitors at the Ozark Folk Center sas Special Collections and get into your food wasn’t going to stick to or other museums. the microfilm of old newspapers and your pan,” said Roskamp. you’ll see ‘just received 1,200 pounds Okay… but has she tried it with I’ll wager that iron- of castings’ or ‘5,000 pounds of cast- anything in the museum’s collec- ings’—that meant cast iron ware,” tion? The answer, delivered with a mongery has been used said Bennett. “The names we use disbelieving laugh, is no. today are not the names they used “You could,” she said cautiously, to whip up vittles in then.” as though not wanting to give any- Arkansas ever since For example, the term Dutch body ideas. “I would definitely want oven didn’t come into use until the to thoroughly clean it and season the first settlers crossed late nineteenth century, but you it again. But there are people today could buy a spider (a skillet with who still collect antique cast iron the Big Muddy and legs) along with saucepans, kettles, skillets and things because they be- followed our namesake pots, and the like. lieve they are far superior to what is I asked Bennett if the museum produced today.” river or some other had ever knocked the dust off a piece The advent of the thermostati- of its old iron cookery, re-seasoned it, cally controlled electric oven in the waterway up into the and put it to the use for which it was 1850s was the writing on the wall state’s interior. Tough intended. Maybe it was my imagina- for the Dutch oven, Ragsdale said, tion, but it almost sounded like he but other cast iron cookware has and versatile, it is was frowning when he responded, retained its place in our kitchens. “We buy reproductions to use for And while you can get yours ready- exactly what you need- our demonstrations.” seasoned from the factory or coated ed to survive on the Perhaps I was taking the term with slick, colorful enamel, odds are “living history” a little too seriously. someone in your family still has the frontier. But that’s beside the point. old standby sitting out there on the Cast iron wasn’t just limited to stove: a heavy black skillet, old as the cookware, of course. The Rogers hills, ready to take on all comers. “We would have a Dutch oven Historical Museum has all manner heated and I could usually, in a 12- of cast ironmongery from the state’s Eric Francis is an award winning inch oven, get 22 to 24 biscuits,” history back to the late 1800s. journalist and editor with over 20 years Ragsdale said. “I have a small biscuit “We do have several pieces: a of experience in Arkansas. cutter, and a philosophy for that, too: laundry boiler, a lard press, pots If you cut them smaller, you can give and pans, a griddle, an egg beater, samples to more people. Often it was Dutch ovens,” said Jami Roskamp, never enough.” the museum’s curator of collections. Many of those biscuits were con- “We have a pressure cooker from the sumed by visitors to the Historic 1920s to ‘30s.” Arkansas Museum, whose deputy The beauty of cast iron, Roskamp director Swannee Bennett says their pointed out, was that it was fairly collection of cast iron cookware is easy to make something with it—just unrivaled in the state. But none of it pour molten iron into a mold—and was produced here; Arkansas didn’t the resultant object stored and re- have a foundry turning out skillets leased heat in a consistent manner, and such, but the state’s mercantile a boon to cooking without thermo- 12 Arkansauce Issue 4, 2014 Nineteenth Century Culinary Traditions Revived at Williams Tavern Restaurant By Kat Robinson

hen did res- taurants start popping up in Arkansas? For W that matter, what quali- fies as a restaurant? The term “restaurant” was not used much in our country, let alone Arkansas, before the twenti- eth century. The word was allegedly created by a soup vendor in France who sold “restoratives,” which taken to one extreme equates restau- rant with soup, no? That Frenchman was known as Monsieur Boulanger, and in 1765 he had a sign outside his shop in Paris that read, Williams Tavern Restaurant in Historic Washington State Park. Photograph by Kat Robinson. “VENITE AD ME VOS QUI STOMACHO LABORATIS ET this issue). The state’s oldest general lived there until his death in 1869. EGO RESTAURABO VOS” store is the Oark General Store, way Williams’ place was not just his (Come to me, all who labour out in the little Oark community in home—it served as a stopping-in in the stomach, and I will Franklin County, near the Mulberry point for the community and for trav- restore you). He gets credit River and far away from just about elers. It was a post office, stagecoach for the word, but the actual everything else. It dates back to 1890, shop, and tavern. His “stand” off the concept of a place where you though the restaurant housed there Southwest Trail was considered one exchange money for food is has come and gone through the years. of the best known between Memphis quite ancient with both the But the oldest restaurant operating and the Red River. Wayfarers would Chinese and the Romans hav- today? That honor likely goes to Wil- arrive, purchase corn and hay to feed ing some variation. liams Tavern Restaurant in the South- their horses and then have a bite to Here in Arkansas, find- west Arkansas town of Washington. eat themselves. Many would camp ing a restaurant still standing The restaurant part was added in 1986 around the inn before heading out from the nineteenth century when the building was relocated and the next morning. presents a challenge—espe- opened for lunch on the grounds of Old Washington State Park was cially one still in operation. Old Washington, now Historic Wash- created in 1973. Structures from the The oldest such structure ington State Park. The park consists of area were moved into place in the still in existence stands in a whole town of nineteenth and early empty spots over the years and with Little Rock, the city’s oldest twentieth century buildings about ten a financial donation in 1985 from building. That would be the miles north of Hope. the Pioneer Washington Restoration Hinderliter Grog Shop, which Williams Tavern was originally Foundation, Williams Tavern found is part of the fine collection located in Marlbrook, approximate- a home. It was restored and opened of territorial buildings at the ly seven miles to the northeast of in 1986 for breakfast. Historic Arkansas Museum Washington, in 1832, and built by a Today Williams Tavern is open (see Christie Ison’s piece in man named John Williams. Williams 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch. There is Arkansauce Issue 4, 2014 13 often a buffet, or you can order off the menu things such as a hamburger, ham steak, hamburger steak, chick- en fried steak and such— served up with so many possibilities of sides ranging from green beans and corn and fried okra to squash, zucchini and black-eyed pea salad. It is also known for its desserts, such as apple cobbler, cream-filled chocolate Earth- quake Cake and even cushaw pie. In the Yuletide season, the restaurant still offers a traditional holiday din- ner of turkey, ham and all the fixings on a buffet all month long. I mentioned cushaw pie, but The chicken fried steak is just one of the items on the menu at the restaurant. maybe you have not heard of it. I Photograph by Kat Robinson. do not think that I have had it since I was a child—but it is a true south Arkansas delicacy. In the summer months it often graces the specials’ Cushaw Pie board at Williams Tavern. The cush- aw in question is a goose-necked 2 cups prepared cushaw squash puree squash that’s green with white or 2/3 cup brown sugar yellow stripes. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Is it an authentic experience? 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger That depends on what you’re call- 1/2 teaspoon salt ing authentic. If you’re interested in 3 large eggs eating food popular in southwest 1 teaspoon vanilla Arkansas, it’s spot-on. If you are 12 ounces evaporated milk looking for the exact items served at Single pie crust Williams Tavern in the 1830s, then not so much. Then again, we do not Combine cushaw squash puree, brown sugar, cin- really have a complete record of what namon, ginger, and salt in a medium-size mixing bowl. was available at the tavern back then. Add eggs and vanilla then beat lightly with a whisk. Stir And chances are, many of the staples in evaporated milk. Mix well. Pour into a pastry-lined available today just were not around pie plate. Bake on the lowest oven rack at 375-degrees for back then. 50-60 minutes (until a toothpick inserted in the center But the Williams Tavern expe- comes out clean). Chill before serving. rience is wonderful. The wait staff dress in country outfits—white shirts, black skirts and aprons. A lot of those aprons are made by waitress Dusty Chambers’ mom. She says her mom can make any apron from scratch at the drop of a hat. After seeing so many different aprons at- tributed to her mom, I believe that statement.

Slice of Cushaw Pie. Photograph by Kat Robinson. 14 Arkansauce Issue 4, 2014 The Magnolia Bake Shop, the State’s Oldest Bakery, Looks Back By Kat Robinson

he oldest bakery in Ar- kansas may very well be the Magnolia Bake Shop in Magnolia, Arkansas. OpenedT in the late 1920s, it has been in the Stroope family for 86 years. I had a chance to speak with Ste- phen Stroope, who owns the bak- ery with his wife Betsy. First thing I asked him was how long the bak- ery had been around. “Since water,” he chuckled, and dove right into the story behind the place. The bakery was started in 1928 by Carmie Schobel Stroope, who had been a dairy worker for several years. Stroope ran it for four years before selling it in 1932 to his wife’s two sisters, May and Hassie Beaty. Interior of the Magnolia Bake Shop. Photograph by Grav Weldon. The sisters owned the bakery for decades, and were known for their In 1961, Joe came back from Cali- lucky to be born into a business like great baked goods. fornia, bought the bakery from the that.” Stroope’s son Joe Franklin Stroope two sisters and resettled his family Joe Franklin Stroope kept up the was an adventuresome young man there. His three sons also worked bakery and made a good name for it who took to hitchhiking in his youth. there, the youngest of them being and for his family in Magnolia. He He traveled to a lot of different plac- Stephen, who was ten at the time. never turned away a customer; black es and discovered the world in this “The square was gravel back or white, he served everyone. “He fashion. Back in 1941 he was hitch- then,” he told me. “I remember taught us how to treat people right, ing and a man pulled up in the finest coming in 1961. I walked in and the treat your help right too, and boy I car he ever did see and offered him doors were black and white—two see where he was going with that. a ride to Camden. Joe accepted that double doors. There were single light ride—and when he got in he saw a bulbs on the ceiling. The Cokes had “My mamma said .45 caliber gun and a pint of whiskey ice on them. They didn’t use ice on she was his second on the front seat. It turned out the top of the case to keep it cool, but man he accepted that ride from was they weren’t far from it. Hassie and love, and that the none other than Sid McMath who a May Beaty made a good living. They few short years later would become weren’t rich, but they had a lot of bakery was his first. governor of Arkansas. money and it was amazing.” She’d say ‘go put Sometime in the late 1930s or The bakery by that point was early 1940s, Joe traveled to Darien, well established, and it had a fol- your baby to bed’ Illinois, and enrolled in the Wilton lowing. It would turn out cakes, par- Cake Decorating School. Later on, ticularly striped cake and whipped and he’d go piddle he headed out to California, where cream coconut cakes, fruit bars, iced and come back home he got to hear the big bands play. He butter cookies, German chocolate took along his high school sweet- cake and more, day after day. and everybody was heart, Martha, and there they started “I’m very lucky, and old enough a family and two bakeries. to realize it,” Stephen told me. “It’s happy.” Arkansauce Issue 4, 2014 15

thanks to his dad. “Everything, I mean everything, is made from scratch. Everything’s still made like he did. He loved baking. I’m not real ashamed to say it, but I don’t love it as much as he did. I can see him when I do something, I can see him just plain as day. He’s the whole Advertisement sponsored by the Magnolia Bake reason for it. Now Shop honoring the city of Magnolia on the second I’m the last in the anniversary of the discovery of oil, ca. 1940. line. I don’t know. Courtesy: Stroope Family. I don’t know what will happen to the And that’s the whole reason he did shop. It’s been going so well, that’s true.” 85 years. I’ll probably He grew up during the Great work another five Depression, and he was only broke years anyway, try to once in in his life. Stephen says Joe get others in there. I get up about 1:30 made a promise to himself never to Exterior view of the Bake Shop, ca. 1935. Courtesy: Stroope Family. be broke again. He kept the bakery each morning, and open seven days a week, every day I pretty much have of the year, getting up in the early bunch and served them at a party. to cut back. I can’t do it like I used hours of morning and going in day Then they took off. to. [One] Christmas Eve I could not after day. Joe sold the bakery to his three get up to go back to work. I decided “My mamma said she was his sons in 1984. He passed away in 2007. then I better slow down. I need to second love, and that the bakery Stephen’s two older brothers have re- enjoy life—I don’t want it to be my was his first. She’d say ‘go put your tired, and for the last couple of years whole life. baby to bed’ and he’d go piddle and it’s just been Stephen and Betsy. “I got one young man come in come back home and everybody “We have pretty much every- now, he works in the oil fields, his was happy.” thing same as it was then,” Stephen mother works in the bakery. I tell Joe’s brother, C.S. Stroope, was said. “A lot of our clientele has died him ‘you won’t find an opportuni- also in the business. He ran Stroope’s off, but now we got new ones. We ty like that.’ It’s hard to find some- Pastry Shoppe in Camden and have customers from Dallas and one you can depend on. I’ve gotta passed it along to his son; it closed Shreveport. During the Christmas do something. I’d hate to see it just just a few years ago. The family also holidays we can’t keep up with it— fade away.” had a shop in El Dorado started for you can’t make it quick, not enough Stephen’s son, but after the young room to store, but that’s when we man died that shop was closed. make our money so we do what we The Magnolia Bake Shop did can do.” things by keeping them pretty much He takes to heart the adage, “If the same. “It’s hard to change some- it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Just about thing if it’s working,” Stephen stated. anything on the shelves is what you Joe tried to introduce Danish cook- would have found decades ago. ies at one point. They didn’t sell un- That’s a bonus for all of us, since til one of the local ladies bought a it’s good stuff. Stephen says it is all 16 Arkansauce Issue 4, 2014 Mamaw, Nonnie and Me with Chicken and Dumplings By Debbie Arnold be missed, and it seemed that most often there were other-than-family s early as I can remem- visitors who typically ber, I was in the kitchen found their way to those with my grandmothers, noonday meals as well. Betty Easley Allen and Always a meat, or two, RellieA Strain Horton, both of whom and three or more vegeta- were excellent home cooks. I sup- bles with fresh bread and, pose it was there that my culinary of course, dessert—the education was born and nurtured. table was brimming. Certainly, it was during those early Whatever was left- times either watching or stirring over from those bountiful the pot that I realized there was a tables was usually served certain mystique to putting a meal up again at dinner, most on the table, but it was not some- commonly called supper thing to be feared. It just never oc- at both houses, or found curred to me that I could not cook, its way into some form and for that early foundation, I am of soup, stew or pot pie. forever grateful. Nothing, literally noth- Mamaw (Horton) and Nonnie ing, was ever wasted. If (Allen) never claimed to be inno- it would not fill a table- vators in the “farm to table” move- spoon, it went into the ment; it’s just what they did. What The author with Nonnie, ca. 1955. feed buckets for the chick- they served and what we ate, al- ens or hogs or maybe into most without exception, came from the “turnover” pile. the field and the pasture. Fresh, The tending of those “turnover” canned, churned, smoked and, in Whatever was piles was routinely assigned to me later years, frozen—it was home- leftover from those and which, second only to clean- grown and homemade. ing the chicken houses, became the I don’t believe that my memo- bountiful tables was chore I most detested. It was years ries of those fruits of their labors usually served up later before I realized what my have been romanticized with the grandmothers instinctively knew. passing years. Breakfast began again at dinner, most That by turning those scraps and each morning at Mamaw’s with bis- commonly called sup- coffee grounds and poop, pure gold cuits, maybe with or without gra- was being created and would yield vy, but always with sweet cream, per at both houses, a big return for little effort. “Com- home-churned butter and as often or found its way into posting” was not a term they used as not, sorghum molasses or honey. but was just what they did. I never saw a written recipe nor did some form of soup, Plus, I knew that was the very I ever see her measure any of those stew or pot pie. Noth- best place to go looking for worms ingredients, but they were the flaki- when I wanted bait for fishing! est buttermilk morsels you could ing, literally nothing, My inheritance might seem of ever put in your mouth. The bacon was ever wasted. little value to anyone looking for or ham that Nonnie fried up in one dollars and cents, but to me, it can- of her many cast iron skillets to go Lunch, promptly at noon, was not be measured in such a menial along with her biscuits came from always the main meal of the day. regard. My daughter may never her own smokehouse which still Weekdays or weekends, it didn’t shovel out a chicken coop or shout stands on the home place property. matter. Lunch was the meal not to out warnings to any snakes lurking Arkansauce Issue 4, 2014 17

Mamaw’s Chicken and Dumplings (Adapted by Debbie Arnold) Serves 6-8 5 pounds combination of skin on, nearby, but she can put a meal on bone in chicken breasts the table. My grandchildren know and thighs that when it comes time to head 1 large onion quartered to the pond to cast out a line, our 3 stalks celery, cut into 3-inch backyard compost pile is the place slices to go first. They might not catch a 2 bay leaves single fish, but they sure do have a 1 sage leaf grand time playing with those fat 2 chicken bouillon cubes or earthworms. 1 container Knorr chicken Included in my dowry, such as flavoring it was, from my Mamaw was her 32-ounces low-sodium chicken A hot bowl of chicken and dumplings makes everything better. Courtesy of “secret” chicken and dumplings broth diningwithdebbie.net. recipe. Now, I say it was secret 2 teaspoons Kosher salt because that was what one of my 1 tablespoon freshly cracked black aunts told me when I first asked pepper her for Mamaw’s recipe. It was Water as needed to cover well not to be shared, according to her. Of course, when I went straight to Place all ingredients in a 5-quart slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 6-8 hours. the source, you know what I got! When the chicken is tender and cooked through, remove the pieces to a separate I have been making that dish just container to cool. Strain broth and refrigerate several hours or overnight. like my grandmother for well over The chicken can also be prepared on the stove top, but I really think the slow forty years now. And so have a cooker method intensifies the flavor considerably. few others with whom I’ve shared Remove and discard the skin and bones of the chicken pieces. Coarsely shred the “family secret.” Mamaw had the chicken, cover and refrigerate until ready to use. no idea she possessed such a trea- Remove the fat from the congealed broth and discard. (Mamaw would NEV- sured secret, of course. I’m sure ER have done such a thing!) About an hour before serving, reheat the broth in a she would be more than pleased for large stock pot, bringing it to a slow boil. Add the dumplings (see recipe below) me to continue sharing it as well. one at a time, stirring once after all are added. Cover and reduce the heat allowing And because my aunt is deceased, the dumplings to cook without boiling for 20-30 minutes. There should be ample I surely will not get into any more broth to cover all otherwise add in additional chicken broth or water. trouble by doing so. Only we will The best way to test that they’re done is to taste. That’s a cook’s bonus, I suppose. not be going out to the backyard to Stir in the shredded chicken and heat through. Taste for seasoning and add ad- ring the neck of a hen that won’t lay ditional salt and pepper as needed. The broth should have thickened. If not, cook over or a rooster past his prime to make low heat until desired thickness is achieved. Turn off the heat until ready to serve. up a batch. But I could because I learned that as well. Dumplings: I do not think I’ll ever quite As far as I’m concerned, there’s really only one way to make a proper dumpling master my Nonnie’s chicken pot for Chicken and Dumplings. True Southern dumplings are never, I repeat never, pie. And I do not even try to fry puffy. On that point, Mamaw and Nonnie would both agree so don’t even begin chicken like my grandmothers did. to convince me otherwise. So what’s the secret to the best-ever chicken and dumplings? It’s really simple. Debbie Arnold is the author of the Mamaw’s dumplings are a simple 2 to 1 ratio of all-purpose flour to buttermilk DiningWithDebbie.net blog. A proud with some salt and pepper thrown in. The key is not to overwork the dough and Arkansas native, she is an avid garden- to roll it out into thin strips about an inch wide and 1 1/2 inches long. Overworked er and enthusiastic cook. dumplings create tough dumplings. For this amount of broth and chicken, I would prepare 2 cups of flour to 1 cup of buttermilk. I like to prepare the dumplings prior to reheating the broth thus giving them time to air dry prior to immersion. 18 Arkansauce Issue 4, 2014 Peter Pasquale and the Arkansas Delta Tamale By Kat Robinson

Joe St. Columbia, the owner of Pasquale’s Tama- les. Photograph by Grav Weldon.

being spoken by the Mexican families who sent men to the fields to work cotton. He got to know many of them Pasquale’s famous tamales. Photograph by Grav Weldon. well, and they shared gossip and reci- pes. He taught them spaghetti, pasta very Friday and Saturday cane for 50 cents a day until he had making and Italian dishes—and they morning, a white trailer enough to board passage up the Mis- taught him how to make tamales. The appears alongside High- sissippi River. tamales they would make would in- way 49 in the Arkansas He made it as far as Helena. Joe clude anything from chicken to pork DeltaE city of Helena-West Helena says it is possible his grandfather had to goat. Tamales were the perfect bearing the single word on a banner: run out of money. According to fam- portable meal to carry in the field TAMALES. ily lore, St. Columbia was the second because they were better warm, and Throughout the day, cars pull up Italian to make it to Helena, a town al- since they were already packaged in and pull away. A scent wafts on the ready full of Greeks, Germans, Leba- corn husks, they had their own biode- breeze, full of corn and beef and spic- nese, Chinese and Jews also seeking a gradable container. es and more corn. And while the trail- better life in America. The recipe Peter put together was er is new, the scent is ancient to the At the turn of the century, Helena a little different from what he was settled Delta. If you were to go to the was an ethnic stew, a blend of ethnici- taught. Instead of the other meats, he window of the trailer, you would be ties smattered into the already grow- used only beef in his, good cuts lower greeted by Joe and Joyce St. Columbia. ing population of whites and blacks in fat, a finer ground masa and plenty The tamales are Joe’s grandfa- who had been there since before the of spices. He would take these out to ther’s recipe. The reason they are Civil War, and Mexicans coming the fields to sell to other farm work- being sold today has far more to do north to work the plantations. ers. They caught on, and the Delta with Joyce than Joe. One way or an- In 1897, Peter St. Columbia had tamale was born: a blend of minced other, the tamales, and the way they earned enough money as a merchant beef and spices in masa, wrapped in are made, are unique to the Arkansas vendor marketing wares to families corn husks and steamed, far spicier Delta, and something that dates back along the Mississippi levee to send than the Mexican counterpart of the more than a century. for his wife and son for a visit. They time. Joe St. Columbia’s grandfather came through Ellis Island and then The St. Columbia family pros- Peter came to America in 1892, leav- from New York by train—$300 for pered in the new world. Peter ped- ing behind his wife and only son in the entire journey. When they arrived dled wares, drove a taxi, ran a grocery Cefalù, Sicily, to find his fortune. He and saw how well Peter had done in and made some investments. By the landed in New Orleans, all but pen- this new place, they decided to stay. beginning of World War I the family niless, and went to work doing what He was able to pick up languages was doing well, and Peter and his son was easy-to-get work, but not easy-to- easily, and his Sicilian dialect of Italian Sam built and bought properties in do work: cutting sugar cane. He cut wasn’t so different from the Spanish downtown Helena. The Depression Arkansauce Issue 4, 2014 19

ered that Joe’s dad Sam’s original first name was Pasquale, which he did not care to share since it sounded foreign. Thus, Pasquale’s Tamales was born. Joe got a factory going. The operation started off first as a hand-crank deal with a lot of labor involved, but then the St. Columbias purchased a me- chanical extruder and conveyor belt system, and they started making ta- males in batches of 200 dozen. They started a restaurant that sold Italian dishes alongside tama- les. They worked furiously, putting in 18-hour days. Tamales got hot in the region again, and they just kept Pasquale’s Tamales Trailer. Photograph by Grav Weldon. going and going until Joyce had a heart attack. Joe came to the realiza- tion that although the tamale factory came about, and they still did just out of the woodwork to buy tamales. and the restaurant were going strong, fine—owing to the fact that Sam and The couple did well, selling the tama- both took a lot of their time and effort. Peter never trusted the banks. While les alongside other soul food like tur- And as Joe puts it, “All the money in those around them lost their shirts nip greens, pig ears and sandwiches Phillips County wouldn’t be worth it and fortunes, they managed to keep they’d make there. They also built a without her.” their properties and businesses—and pushcart and took it around from one And the dust settled. Joe sold the purchase more. As Joe related to me, juke joint to another on Walnut Street, tamale factory to a guy who had a it was not uncommon to hear people with the chant “One for a nickel, heart attack soon thereafter, and Joe speak of the St. Columbia family as three for a dime. Sell a lot more, but bought it back. He pared the opera- such, “Don’t those damn (Italians) there just ain’t time.” tion back significantly. He stopped know how tough finances are, spend- The Elm Street Tamale Shop pros- doing mail-order sales of tamales, ing all that money?” Sam’s thought pered and stayed open through World got the trailer and just did tamales on the matter was “If I do well during War II. Eventually, the owners died two days a week, on Fridays and the Depression, when there’s no more from old age, and Joe St. Columbia’s Saturdays. Depression, I’ll be rich.” two brothers bought it back. They ran And that is where you will find Eugene and Maggie Brown ap- an Italian deli in the same spot for 10 them today, alongside Highway 49 proached Sam St. Columbia about years, still serving those tamales. two days a week, usually selling ev- renting out one of his buildings. Joe, on the other hand, went into ery tamale they have before the day They were looking for a way to sup- the insurance business—and then is done. port themselves, and they wanted to into the ownership of a beer business It’s no wonder. There are no pre- open a restaurant that sold soul food, he ran for 20 some-odd years. When servatives in these golden tubules sandwiches and pie. Sam knew he his brothers folded up their food of gastronomy . . . also known as ta- had an empty building that would business, the tamales went away for males. They are made from finely just sit empty if he did not do some- a while. But there was a day when ground cornmeal, chopped sirloin, thing with it—and these folks seemed Mammie Davis (Joe’s maid) and fresh garlic and onion and a plethora honest and a good investment. So he Joyce, Joe’s wife, got a hankering for of spices, steamed up in corn shucks agreed to let the Browns use the prop- tamales. They got out the old recipe and served hot. erty on one condition: that they use and started working those tamales Everything’s all-natural—no fillers, his recipe to make tamales. And they and made a mess of them. Joe got no lard, no bull. Well, the sirloin . . . . did, altering it just a little bit. That home and had some, and they were combination—a Mexican dish recre- good. Joyce said there was a real need ated by an Italian and produced by for these tamales, and they should hand by an African-American family start making them again. So they did, as soul food—created the Arkansas in the kitchen at the beer factory. version of the Delta tamale. And oh Joe restarted the business, except how it sold! The Elm Street Tamale this time, it was all about making the Shop took off, and it became well tamales. His daughter-in-law Rhonda known in the area, with folks coming had done research, and had discov- 20 Arkansauce Issue 4, 2014 From the Rooter to the Tooter: Hog Killing Time in Arkansas By Cindy Grisham

n farms all over Ar- Many old timers sugar cure, which allowed the meat kansas, the begin- to cure without the smoking pro- ning of winter was said that in the old cess. It was a mixture of salt, brown marked by the ritual days families used sugar, and sodium nitrate and could knownO as hog killin’. It may have be purchased at the store. It was more closely resembled a harvest every part of the hog rubbed into the skin, which was left festival than any other single event. attached to the various cuts, and Hog killing was not a one man op- except the squeal. placed in a cool secure place to cure. eration. It involved every member of One woman in Cross While the men did the butcher- the family and often all of the neigh- ing, the woman took over process- bors and was a mixture of food, fun, County told her off- ing the entrails. The heart, liver, and a lot of hard, dirty, smelly work. spring that you used kidneys, and lights (lungs) were Many old timers said that in the old removed, pulled from the tub and days families used every part of the every part of the pig washed and placed in another con- hog except the squeal. One woman tainer. The intestines were cut into in Cross County told her offspring from the rooter to the small sections, turned inside out that you used every part of the pig tooter. and washed and cleaned. They from the rooter to the tooter. could be used for casings to hold Pork has long been identified as and their throats were slit with a sausage or cooked and eaten as chit- the state’s most popular domesticat- sharp knife to allow them to bleed terlings. The head was also split ed meat. Before refrigeration, beef out. Then they were put into the open and the brain removed. It had to be eaten soon after slaugh- pots of boiling water to scald the would be scrambled with eggs for ter, but pork could be preserved by hair loose. Sometimes the carcasses breakfast. The head would then be salting or smoking without the aid had to be turned, since the pot was washed and placed in a large pot to of cooling. Pigs could also survive not large enough to hold the entire be boiled, sometimes with the feet. on their own in the woods, eating animal under water. Once the hair Once it had cooked the meat was acorns and rooting for other edibles, was loosened, it was scraped from cooled enough for handling then multiplying prodigiously, all with- the skin with knives. pulled from the bones and placed in out the assistance of humans. When Once the hog was scraped of a large loaf pan and pressed firmly. winter rolled around and it was time hair it was hung by its back legs Some of the cooking liquid would to put up some meat for winter, all and split open carefully to allow be poured on top and allowed to one had to do was throw out some the entrails to be pulled out and col- settle in the crevasses. Because of corn and wait for the year’s meat lected in a wash tub or other large the cartilage that boiled along with source to wander up and get them- container. The inside of the carcass the meat, the liquid would con- selves shot. Once stock laws came was washed out thoroughly and geal. This delicacy was called head into effect in the twentieth century, then taken down and moved to a cheese or souse and was sliced like a pigs retained their popularity be- flat surface for butchering. Pieces luncheon meat and served on bread cause they took up little space and like the backbone, tenderloin, pork or crackers. ate whatever scraps the family had chops and ribs were usually divid- The rest of the entrails had to be to feed them. ed among those helping and were eaten quickly as well. One northeast Cold weather was necessary taken home and eaten quickly fresh. Arkansas family was treated to an for hog killing, since warm weath- The shoulders, hams, and side meat annual meal of something called er hastened spoilage. The process were salted down and taken to the Hashly. The heart, liver, and lights would begin before daylight with smoke house. There they hung for were seasoned and boiled and then the building of fires under large weeks, absorbing the smoke and cut into a fine mince. From there they pots and water was put on to boil. curing for year round use. Some were placed back in the broth and The animals were shot in the head families used what was called a potatoes, carrots, and onions, diced Arkansauce Issue 4, 2014 21

equally fine, were added to the pot would be standing and cooked until it thickened up. by to fry samples The stew was then seasoned with of the sausage to lots of black pepper and enjoyed for determine when several meals. If the intestines were the seasoning pro- to be cooked as chitterlings, they cess was just right. were boiled in large pots with bell The freshly ground peppers and onions. They could be sausage could then eaten straight from the boiling pot be processed in two or drained, patted dry, and fried in a ways. It could be skillet. There are no fence-straddlers stuffed into some of in the chitterlings debate. They are a the cleaned intes- dish that is either relished or hated, tines and smoked and it is often said that if you ever for later use, or shaped into pat- Once stock laws ties and fried. The patties would then came into effect in the be packed in jars and the hot grease twentieth century, left over from the pigs retained their cooking process would be poured popularity because over them. The jars would then be they took up little sealed and in that space and ate what- manner the sau- sage could be kept ever scraps the family for several months. When sausage was had to feed them. needed, it was dipped out with John Kemper of Houston, Arkansas, butchering a hog, ca. 1920. get a bad chitterling you will never, the fat and warmed Courtesy: George Kemper. ever touch another one. Because of in a skillet. this, chitterling cooks are careful to One of the more objectionable Although labor intensive, Ar- always clean their own, never trust- and smelly parts of the butchering kansans looked forward to hog kill- ing anyone else to do the work. process was the rendering of lard ing time every year, not only for the Lean scraps would be gathered from the fat. All of the scraps of fresh meat but for time spent with up and run through a sausage grind- fat were collected and thrown into friends, family, and neighbors. er. The old grinders were screwed a large pot and heated to melt the securely to the edge of a table and fat. Lean meat and skin that were at- Cindy Grisham is a historian and someone, usually one of the chil- tached to the fat would float to the author from a long line of Ozarks sto- dren, would hand crank the grinder top of the pot and could be skimmed rytellers, Her recent publications are while the women fed the meat into off. These tasty morsels were called When Hope Grows Weary: Tyronza, it. After the meat was ground it cracklings and could be eaten as a Arkansas and Its Place in History would be seasoned to each family’s snack. More often, they were added and A Savory History of Arkansas particular taste with black and red to the cornbread batter with the re- Delta Food: Potlikker, Coon Suppers, pepper and sage. Often, someone sult being crackling cornbread. and Chocolate Gravy. 22 Arkansauce Issue 4, 2014 Social Media and the Changing Food Landscape By Michael Roberts

t this point, checking feedback, both positive and negative. selves, opening a brick-and-mortar social media to see Word-of-mouth advertising has al- store was beyond their means, so they what I’m going to have ways been essential to the survival of decided to dive into the competitive for lunch has become local restaurants, and every tweet, Ins- and growing Arkansas food truck as muchA a part of my morning routine tagram photo, or Facebook post builds scene with their truck Waffle Wagon. as a shower and a cup of coffee. Long exponentially on the word-of-mouth For a food truck, social media is more gone are the days of being in the dark concept. Savvy chefs develop personal than just a way to promote a brand about daily specials, holiday hours, relationships with prolific users, de- and post pictures of food: it is the life- or that new shipment of imported veloping something akin to free focus line that connects the truck with its prawns that the chef is highlighting groups to hone their skills and menus. clientele. Daily posts about truck loca- this week, because in today’s inter- Perhaps no upstart in Central Ar- tions, lunch and dinner specials, and connected world, all that information kansas has embraced this new way truck events ensure that followers is available at the touch of a screen on of doing things better than South on of the Waffle Wagon not only know a device that fits in a pocket. To say Main restaurant, a joint project be- where to find their beloved chicken that social media has revolutionized tween the Oxford American magazine and waffles, but also allows guests dining is an understatement—social and chef Matthew Bell. Bell, along to once again feel like they are a part media has done more to bring grow- with his wife Amy, are masters of of something bigger—in this case, a ers, sellers, preparers, and consumers social media, posting pictures of food truck fan club. of food together than anything in the their food and information about the In a landscape as crowded as the history of mankind. various specials and concert events restaurant business, any small edge Use of direct social media sites happening at their restaurant, all of that gets people thinking about a par- like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram which serves to keep their restaurant ticular place can mean the difference brings a level of parity between lo- fresh in the minds of potential din- between success and failure. Before cal cooks and their multi-national ers. Where the Bells really succeed the digital age, restaurants either had chain competitors that is impossible beyond these basic techniques is with to spend massive amounts of money to achieve with paid advertising on their personal touch. It is not uncom- on television, radio, or print advertis- television or in print, while crowd- mon to see candid shots of the South ing or hope for a positive review in funding sites like Kickstarter have on Main staff appear on Instagram or the local paper and friendly word-of- opened up new pathways to raise the Twitter, and unlike some restaurant mouth. Social media gives these res- massive amount of cash needed to owners who shy away from pictures taurants several platforms with which start a restaurant. The beauty of these taken by guests, the South on Main they can connect with diners, and it platforms is that they allow local res- bunch promotes such pictures on allows them to steer the conversation taurateurs a means of putting faces their own platforms. By including and respond to criticisms directly, as and names to food concepts they are the guest in something bigger, the well as keeping their names fresh in promoting, while the back-and-forth South on Main staff make guests feel the memories of the public—and all nature of comments and re-tweets like “part of the team.” Social media with just an investment of time and makes the consumer feel like he or also helps to promote the local grow- creativity. It is a vastly different world she has a personal stake in every- ers that South on Main strives to use than what we had just a couple of thing that their favorite restaurant or whenever they can, which is a breath decades ago, making it ever easier to food truck posts. of fresh air when compared to the answer that age-old question “What’s Apart from advertising that only mystery ingredients featured on so for supper?” requires the time spent setting up many big-chain menus. and using social media services, the Stand-alone restaurants like Michael Roberts is one of the creators various platforms also serve as a vir- South on Main are not the only ben- of and writers for the award winning tual dinner table where food lovers eficiaries of this new digital realm. ArkansasFoodies.com. His work has ap- from all over can discuss their fa- When Matt Clark and Melissa Melton peared in Sync Weekly magazine, and vorite dishes, post pictures, and give decided to go into business for them- Arkansas Life. Arkansauce Issue 4, 2014 23 Featured Cookbook From Our Collection Our Best Home Cooking Bella Vista German-American Club, 1988 By Kat Robinson, Guest Editor

Arkansas isn’t as much a melt- ing pot as it is a stew of different cultures, nationalities and ethnici- ties. In amidst all the different cul- tures well represented in Arkansas today, you will find Italian, Mexi- can, Greek, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, French and South American cui- sine represented throughout the state. Yet one of the more prevalent cuisines, German, is served up in a mere handful of eateries across The Natural State. While Eureka Springs’ Bavar- ian Inn has served a couple of gen- erations and Emmy’s German Res- cally available meats and pro- taurant has offered Fort Smith area duce, the book does contain a diners spaetzel and schnitzel since recipe for Rehragout (German 1962, German populations have Venison Ragout)—that, unlike kept their culinary traditions alive many similarly named recipes through church congregations, local from Germany, calls for tomato clubs and the occasional cookbook. puree and mushrooms instead Bella Vista’s German-American of leeks, sour cream, vinegar or Club published Our Best Home Cook- pig’s blood. This Arkansas-ized ing in 1988. The club, which began version might well be best served with just six members, would come “mit Spätzle.” together once a month for what it called “Gemuetlichkeit,” which is Kat Robinson is a food and trav- defined as “a situation that induces a el writer. Her recent publications cheerful mood, peace of mind, with include Arkansas Pie: A Delicious connotation of belonging and social Slice of the Natural State and Classic acceptance, coziness and unhurry.” Eateries of the Ozarks and Arkansas In that same vein, many of the reci- River Valley. She also serves as Com- pes within called for long cooking munications Manager in the Tourism times, lots of simmering and plenty Division at Arkansas Department of of non-hurrying. Names such as Parks and Tourism. Leberknodelsuppe (Liver Dumpling Soup) and Beetenbortsch (Red Beet Soup) may inspire chuckles from to- day’s diners. Cover of the Northwest Arkansas German-American Ever to take advantage of lo- Club Cookbook. Special Collections Department University of Arkansas Libraries 365 North McIlroy Avenue Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701-4002

Featured Menu

Menu from Wiederkehr’s Weinkeller Restaurant, ca. 1970. The original wine cellar was hand-dug by Johann Andreas Wiederkehr, a Swiss immigrant to Franklin County, in 1880 and converted to a restaurant in 1967. From the Arkansas Menu and Recipe Collection (MC 1908).