Y'all have a bite...a Southern day of food Quiz

Answer: Dry-cured "Country" Ham

In a process used since colonial times, these hams are dry, salt-cured and are very different in both taste and texture to "store-bought" hams. They're much more red, saltier and less tender, not the pink, rubbery, liquid-injected, hams I was used to eating. Years ago it took longer to cure the hams because they had to hang for many months; first in the late fall/winter to get the salt (and sugar, if used) to penetrate into the meat; then excess moisture was removed by the spring winds; then they were usually, but not always, smoked; finally, they were left to mature during the summer. Those seasons are now simulated by the manufacturers so the hams are ready to go sooner.

Answer: Red-eye gravy

This is simply a mixture of the drippings in the skillet in which the ham was fried mixed with black coffee. It's good on the ham, and also good to dunk your biscuits in. YES, you're having biscuits, not toast! If you mix flour with the liquid, as if making a gravy, it's called sawmill gravy.

Answer: Grits

Yes, the ever popular dish of grits. I think this is one of the foods one has to be raised eating to appreciate. (Like Vegemite.) It is merely ground corn meal, the yellow being the whole kernel, the white is the hulled kernel. The red-eye gravy gives it some flavor.

Answer: Fried catfish

Breaded and fried catfish can be very, very good. I'd always heard how muddy tasting and bony it was. When I first had it, I found out that wasn't always the truth; perhaps having the farm-raised fish makes a difference. Catfish live in every continent except Antarctica and can range in size from the Mekong giant catfish to the wee parasitic candiru of South America. About 60% of the farm-raised catfish in the US are grown within 65 miles of Belzoni, MS.

Answer: Fried green tomatoes

Yummy! Breaded with a mixture of flour, corn meal, and bread crumbs (I like lots of pepper in mine!) green tomato slices are then fried. You choose the type of oil, depending on how heart-healthy you want to be. Seasonings of your choice can be mixed into the flour mixture. They do go well with catfish! This is a great use of late season tomatoes.

Answer: Hushpuppies

Hushpuppies, or their equivalent, are found in many cuisines, sometimes made with ingredients other than corn meal. Ours, though, have their origins in Indian boiled cornbread. We've just changed the way the Cherokee cooked theirs. A fish meal in the south wouldn't be complete without hushpuppies. (I like mine with red pepper flakes in them.) There are many legends on how they got their name.

The one I've heard most is of fishermen who fried up the left-over batter that they used to cook their fish and gave the fried batter to their dogs to quiet them.

Answer: Southern fried chicken

One of the most famous of the Southern dishes, and one of the best. Harlan Sanders made a lot of money with his Kentucky chicken recipe, floured and battered then fried in oil. Some people soak the chicken in buttermilk first. Others just dip it in and out. Different seasonings are added to the batter as desired. Again, the cooking oil can be what you feel you need. I find lard does a great job. I get dibs on the dark meat!

Answer: Collard greens

Collards are also used as an ornamental, so you can line your walkway with edible plants. They are appreciated not only in the south, but as far away as Brazil, Portugal and Kashmir. Collards are an excellent source of Vitamin K, C and a good source of alpha-omega fatty acids. So...pile them on and feel good about taking such good care of yourself.

Many people like them sprinkled with vinegar in which a member of the capsicum family has been marinating.

Answer: Sweet potatoes

There is a difference between the sweet potato and the far more orangey yam. They are even from different families. The sweet potato is firmer and more nutritious. It is also only distantly related to the white potato we normally see. It's high in beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin B6. My brother-in-law loves yams but doesn't like sweet potatoes. Go figure...The sweet potato is enjoyed by the Polynesians as well as Africans, not to mention "we" Southerners.

Answer: Hoppin' John

Hoppin' John is one of the many recipes of a legume and rice dish that are known the world over. It is to bring you luck and prosperity during the coming year. The black-eyed peas are the coins; the corn bread is the gold; and the collards are the cash money. On the next day, the left-overs are called "Skippin' Jenny", and by eating them you can extend your luck. (Who ever has any left over?) I've never met a beans and rice dish I didn't thoroughly enjoy, whether in Brazil, the US or elsewhere.