Even with the different options available from east to west
and back again, Bob Garner has learned that man cannot live by North Carolina
barbecue alone.
In his new book, Foods
That Make You Say Mmm-Mmm (Blair Publishing), Garner takes readers along
for a journey that stretches from the coast to the mountains - with plenty of
pit stops in-between to fill up on local specialties.
"I decided to focus on foods that really are special to
North Carolina, as opposed to things that are loved throughout the South,"
Garner says. "We all eat a lot of mac and cheese and chicken and
dumplings, and wash it down with sweet tea. But there is a kind of cabbage collard
grown here that is limited to the coastal plain. It's so good that has its own
festival in the little town of Ayden, which calls itself the Collard Capital of
the World. Now that is truly
special."
The pale yellow leaves of the cabbage collard and sweeter
and more tender than its stiff, dark-leaved cousin. It's also more precious
giving its limited growing season. "I do get a little sad when you can't
get them anymore," Garner says, "but then all the spring and summer
produce arrives. In North Carolina, there is always something to look forward
to."
"It's perfect for the winter holidays," Garner
says of the cake, which uses a jar of fig jam for its rich flavor and
distinctive texture.
"I don't think most people know about that, but they
should," he says with a trace of the familiar "mmm-mmm" he uses
to accentuate foods he adores.
And while many North Carolinians are familiar with Brunswick
stew, Garner would like to see them boldly try some Neuse River fish stew.
"It's a very localized fish made in no more than four
counties along the Neuse," he says. "Unless you live there or know
people - or are a food historian or a really clued-in foodie - you've probably
never tried it."
Garner includes a recipe for Authentic Eastern North
Carolina Fish Stew in the book. He warns that it's an ugly bowlful of often
boney rockfish, layered with potatoes and onions, and topped with eyeball-like poached
eggs slipped in at the last minute. The stew is not to be stirred while cooking
- typically outdoors, or in a sheltered garage if it's too cold and windy - to
ensure that fish stays in large chunks.
"It's been going on for years and years, but it's a
little known dish outside of the immediate area," Garner says, noting that
some renegades doctor their stew with crushed saltines . "There are only a
couple of places where you can get it commercially, like Ken's Grille on Hwy.
70 in LaGrange. But only on
Fridays."
Another fish Garner originally thought to leave out but
couldn't resist in charcoal mullet. Once dismissed as bait fish, sustainable oily
mullet - especially jumping mullet - has become popular inland thanks to providers
who rush fresh catch from the coast to grateful local consumers.
"Charcoal mullet is food for the common people, a thing
locals always ate when others wouldn't," he says. "There's a lesson
here. If you eat what the locals eat, you're going to eat well."
