Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Brunswick Stew

     While in a couple of North Carolina supermarkets recently, I came upon some Brunswick stews in the canned vegetable/pasta aisles.  The name rang a bell with me, so I bought the two that I found.  Specifically, the Castleberry's brand and the Mrs. Fearnow's varieties.
     Brunswick stew is the center of a culinary debate.  Or a half serious feud, because its origins are shrouded in mystery.  But we'll get to that in a bit--for now, what is Brunswick stew?  Traditionally it's a stew made with small game meat, such as squirrel or rabbit, with a tomato base, local beans, and assorted vegetables and spices.  In the last hundred years or so, the tradition was relaxed somewhat, and now it's mainly made with chicken or beef substituting for the game meat.  (Although some Brunswick stew purists might disagree, and demand the game meat to be "official.")
     Before we get into the historical claimants to the Brunswick stew invention, something should be stated.  A Brunswick stew isn't the most complicated, or weird innovation.  Mixing the game you caught with whatever vegetables you had on hand, with a tomato base, and stewing the lot isn't that strange or intricate.  It's very possible, probable even, that various people came up with this type of thing independently, over various time periods and locations.  So even if really compelling historical proof is ever located for a claimant, they might not really be the first person ever to have cooked up something like this.
     With this in mind, let's proceed.  Some say the Native Americans in the area that's now the Southeast U.S. first made the stew.  Some tribes didn't have access to tomatoes until the 1700's or so, but they could have made some from then on.  One website I consulted noted a claim that John and Charles Wesley, founders of the Methodist Church, invented the stew while attempting to convert the local Indians in the area which is now Brunswick, Georgia in the early 1700's.  Next up, some claim that Brunswick stew was invented on a hunting trip along the Nottoway River in Brunswick County, Virginia, in 1828.  Specifically by James (Jimmy) Matthews, the cook for Dr. Creed Hoskins, who served in the Virginia State Legislature.  Another source says that a plantation cook, Danny Mears, developed the stew in the early 19th century, possibly also in Virginia.  An article in the (Virginia) Alexandria Gazette in 1849 supposedly detailed the stew.  However, the American state of Georgia disagrees.  They claim that the stew was invented on June 2, 1898, on St. Simons Island, just off the coast of Brunswick, Georgia.  (Oddly, given the precise date, they don't mention who invented it.)  The town of Brunswick, Georgia has erected a monument to Brunswick stew, with a a 25 gallon iron pot attached to the top of it, to commemorate it.  Brunswick Georgia once billed itself as the "Shrimp Capital of the World," too, so they were being a little greedy about food-related accomplishments.  They hold an annual Stewbilee, wherein dozens of groups compete in a contest to make the best version of the stew.  Finally, the dish is very popular in North Carolina, and there's even an outside claim that the town of Brunswick in that state was the first to make it.
     But that's not all.  Is this yet another example of American ethnocentrism and arrogance?  Reportedly a Brunswick-style dish was mentioned in association with Queen Victoria in mid to late 19th century England, and others assert that the stew was really invented in Braunschweigen, Germany, the "Brunswick" of that country.
     So who's right?  Or at least, who seems to have the best claim?  Near as I can tell, from my admittedly half-assed online research, most people seem to think that Virginia seems to have the most corroborating historical evidence.  But before any Georgia-based, or Germany-based, or English-based, or North Carolina-based, or Native American-based readers send in their angry comments, remember that it is not 100%, or completely conclusive.  (And if anyone can point me to good evidence for any claimant, please send me the info and I'll check it out.)  Also, in 1988 the Virginia general assembly issued a decree certifying that Virginia is the official inventor of Brunswick stew, on what must have been a slow day for political legislature.
     But enough about the (alleged) history, how did the food actually taste?

1) Castleberry's Brunswick stew.  Meat base was chicken and beef.  Looked like a reddish stew.  Pretty well blended--couldn't really pick out individual veggies.  Tasty.  Kind of reminded me of chili, both from the texture and flavor.  Nice spice bite to it--not too strong, but enough to improve it.

2) Mrs. Fearnow's Brunswick stew.   Meat used was chicken.  Also looks like a reddish stew, obviously from the tomato.  Unlike the other there were many large pieces of vegetables (potato, corn, carrots, lima beans) visible.  This one was okay, but not as good as the Castleberry's.  I noticed the lack of spice in this--it was rather bland.  The texture was more like a regular stew, also, which is not a positive aspect for me.

     I happened to be home while I was trying these, so both my father and I sampled both.  We even did it without knowing which brand we were eating, with the help of my mother, to try to be semi-scientific about it.  Both of us agree that the Castleberry one was more like chili, and more spicy.  However, I saw this as a positive, while my dad disagreed totally.  So I guess if you like more traditional type stews, with little spice bite, you'll like the Fearnow's, and if not you'll prefer the Castleberry's.  (And if you don't like meat, and/or tomato, you may very well hate both.)
     I should note that Castleberry's was founded in Augusta, Georgia, and Mrs. Fearnow's in Mechanicsville, Virginia, so maybe they dovetail nicely with the two main state claimants for the first Brunswick stew.  (The info I saw said Mrs. Fearnow's started making their stew in the 1920's, and Castleberry's was opened in 1926.  So to continue our history of feuding, I'm not even sure which popular canned version of the stew was technically first.)
     Therefore, while it seems like Brunswick County, Virginia, may have been the first Brunswick stew maker, I liked the Georgia-style one better.  I also learned that restaurants in North Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia sometimes have the stew on their menus, although I can't recall ever seeing it.  If I get the chance I'll try to order it, and update this post.  Surely professionally prepared, restaurant style Brunswick stew would be tastier than the canned stuff I had, which I microwaved.  And I'd be even more eager to try the so-called authentic kind, made with game like squirrel, which is an animal flesh I haven't eaten yet.
     I'll end on an astonishing claim.  The real inventor of the Brunswick stew was a time-travelling Swedish Chef from the Muppet Show, in the area later known as New Brunswick, NJ, in 3074 B.C.  (citations definitely needed, but not forthcoming).

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Korean Snacks

     While back in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina recently, I encountered something a little unexpected--several Korean snacks at the local grocery.  As usual, I eagerly snatched them up.  Three of these were Nongshim products--potato snacks, shrimp crackers, and honey twists--while one was from Jayone, a crunchy rice cake snack.

    Not surprisingly, since three of their wares were found across the world from their home, Nongshim is a giant company in South Korea.  Headquartered in Seoul, they've been around since 1965.  Originally known as the Lotte Food Industrial Company, they switched to their current name in 1978.  They're best known for their versions of ramyun, which is a Korean instant noodle dish.  Nongshim products are sold in over 100 countries around the globe, and besides South Korea they have factories in China and the U.S.  Along with ramyun, they produce snacks, and recently, a type of bottled water.  As luck would have it, I tried the first commercialized snack of South Korea, the shrimp cracker, developed in 1971.  (The other two I tried, the potato one and the honey twist, were created in 1972.)  The company's bottled water, Baeksun Mountain Water, has an interesting feature--it's filtered through the rock of Mt. Baekdu, an active volcano.  This kind of reminds me of Dan Aykroyd's Crystal Head Vodka, which is filtered through Herkimer "diamonds" (they're actually quartz crystals).  The Nongshim website points out that the volcanic rock adds silica to the water, which they allege has beneficial health effects to consumers.  And yet again, I'll add the caveat that this claim isn't conclusively proven scientifically.  There may be some health benefits to drinking silica, but the jury's still out, so to speak.  In fact, one study indicated the opposite, that doing so might increase the chances of developing dementia.  Also, it's undeniable that breathing in crystalized silica is hazardous, since it causes nasty diseases like bronchitis, lung cancer, and lupus.

     I don't have nearly as much info about the rice cakes' manufacturer.  There is a website for the distributing company, which is Jayone.  Jayone is a recent business, created in 2000, which operates out of California in the U.S.  Their stated mission is to provide tofu and other Korean foods to new consumers.  Their product line is very extensive--fish, snacks, veggies and fruits, side dishes, beverages--to save time, they manufacture pretty much every kind of food and drink.  And although the label stated that the rice cakes were products of Korea, I wasn't able to discover what that actual manufacturer was.

     

1) Nongshim potato snacks.  These were pale yellow, ribbed rods, about 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm.) long, with the same approximate thickness as a pencil.  The taste was alright, suitably potato-y, but bland.  I put some ketchup on them, as if they were French fries (or "chips" in the U.K.) and this was an improvement.

2) Nongshim shrimp crackers.  These looked very similar to the potato ones, being ribbed yellow rods, about 5 cm. (about 2 inches) long, and the same thickness.  Once again, I could detect the advertised flavor, but it was rather bland.

3) Nongshim honey twists.  These were about 6 cm. long (about 2.25 inches), slightly thicker than the potato and shrimp kinds, in a twisted shape, with a noticeable glaze on them.  They had a sweetish taste.  These kind of grew on me--I started to like them more and more as I ate them.  Significantly better than the other two Nongshim varities.

4) Jayone crunchy rice cakes, honey cinnamon flavor.  These were large white rods, about 4.75 inches (about 12 cm.) long, and about 3 cm. (1.25 inches) in diameter.  These rods were made up of compressed rice kernels.  Initially they tasted just like a sweet rice cake, with all that entails--okay, but not spectacular or anything.  However, as with the honey twists, these kind of grew on me.  After eating one or two I rather liked them.

     In conclusion, then, my opinion of these Korean snacks ranged from "meh" to alright.  The shrimp and potato ones weren't bad, just a bit dull.  I would consider buying the honey twists and the crunchy rice cakes again.

     I was amused to read that Nongshim reportedly had a sluggish start when they first began exporting to China.  In response the company apparently began an ad campaign suggesting that the pepper in their spicy shin ramyun would boost virility in male consumers.  (Left unsaid was if this spice also made female consumers all hot and bothered.)  I guess a portion of instant noodles is significantly cheaper, and almost certainly tastier than a Viagra pill.    

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Sugarcane Juice

     Yet again I'm talking about a product distributed by the Goya company, based out of Secaucus, NJ.  I've discussed this company's wares before, such as in my posts about pigeon peas (February 10, 2018), Spanish cookies (January 6, 2018), and Brazilian cookies (May 25, 2016).  What makes this one a bit different is that the food or beverage isn't from a Latin American country, but Thailand instead.
     Sugarcane juice is a syrup derived from pressing sugarcane stalks.  If there are any strict constructionists concerning culinary terms reading this (and I hope there are), I should point out that "juice" is not technically accurate, since it's not a fruit or vegetable juice.  Sugarcane juice is a popular beverage worldwide, essentially everywhere but the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia.  This liquid is also the precursor to making the alcoholic drink rum.  Staying on alcohol, in Madagascar they make a fermented sugarcane juice drink, called betsa-betsa, as a cheaper alternative to beer.  And in Vietnam, kumquat juice (see December 24, 2012 post) is commonly added to improve the flavor.
     Looking up "health benefits of sugarcane juice" online will provide quite a bit of reading material.  One website extolled its alleged benefits versus the common cold, fevers, jaundice, tooth decay, and UTIs.  But as you can guess from my use of the word "alleged" in the previous sentence, I don't think these benefits have been proven scientifically as of yet.  Sugarcane juice does have decent amounts of iron, electrolytes, calcium, and magnesium.  There are some health detriments to it though.  Drinking it raw can be dangerous.  Consumers can get infected with Chagas disease, or Leptospirosis, so be mindful of that.
     As a slight aside, I learned that 70% of the world's sugar comes from sugarcane, and the remaining 30% from the sugar beet.  Brazil and then India are the largest producers of sugarcane.  And there's controversy about the use of the term "evaporated cane juice" on product labels.  Apparently this is a cheat, a way to hide that foods or beverages contain sugar.  Kind of like other intentionally misleading or "doublespeak" expressions, such as saying a used car is "pre-owned," or that an assassination was an "extrajudicial killing," or that a person is not broke, but exhibiting "negative cash flow."
     Anyway, the Goya sugarcane juice, or "guarapo de cana," was a yellowish-brown color, and closely resembled apple juice.  I found its taste to be rather weird, almost tea-like.  It was surprisingly bland, too.  I figured anything made from sugarcane would be very sweet, by its very nature, but not so.  Overall I was very disappointed, and I won't be buying this one again.  I was further amused to read that the ingredient list consisted of water, 35% sugarcane juice, citric acid, and....sugar.  Not that it seemed to help!

     Also, I'm happy to announce that the horror comic I talked about in last week's post, "The Empties," attained its Kickstarter goal.  This bodes well for the series' continuance.  Congrats to Kristen, Eli, and the others.  And thanks to any readers who helped out.

Review and Information About the Comic Book "The Empties"

     Recently I corresponded back and forth with a fellow horror author, Kristen Renee Gorlitz.  She sent me a free copy of Issue 1 of "The Empties," a comic book she wrote.  The artist was Eli Powell.  Also involved were Marshall Dillon and Alexander A. Garcia.  Comic books (aka graphic novels) are not a medium I've partaken of much--aside from reading Disney and Hanna-Barbera character comics when I was a kid, Peter Bagge's "Hate" comic series when I was an adult, and a handful of others.  But I gave this one a shot, and I'm glad I did.
     The main story in "The Empties" so far is about Derrick, a Michigan-based cook who's learned devastating news about his wife--she's having an affair.  But, in the background, there's something strange and unsettling going on in the surrounding area.  Some of the locals are acting a bit strange, or even monstrous.  The plot takes a story ripped from the real world and runs with it, with horrifying results.  Also, my frame of reference is admittedly limited, but I really enjoyed the artwork.  Artist Eli Powell certainly doesn't shrink from showing disturbing images!  The issue I read (and presumably the entire planned series) was in black and white, which gave it kind of a classic, "Night of the Living Dead" type of vibe.
     Once again, I'll be referring readers to a Kickstarter campaign.  Included at the listed address is, obviously, a lot of information about the comic, its creators, and the details about the campaign.  And you'll find images from "The Empties" itself, and even a free preview of it.  So I encourage everyone to check it out.  The address is:

 https://kickstarter.com/projects/1566126203/the-empties-nothing-eats-you-alive-like-a-bad-roma

     The Kickstarter campaign runs through Friday, March 16th, 2018 12:00 p.m. EDT 
      And the cover of the comic is below.

                               

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Mexican Cookies

     For this post we're jumping back over the Atlantic, back into the Western Hemisphere.  The local Food Lion grocery here had a better than average supply of Mexican cookies (or "biscuits," if you're from other parts of the world), so I bought up a good sample.  I went with two kinds from the Gamesa company, one from Galletas Juanita, and and one from La Moderna.
     Gamesa is a giant in the world of Mexican cookies, as it's that country's biggest manufacturer of them.  The company also makes cereals, flour, and pastas.  To give a brief history, back in 1921 the Gonzalez brothers--Ignacio, Manuel, and Alberto--bought up enough stock to control the Lara pasta company.  They rechristened it the Factory a Biscuits and Pastas La Industrial, SA.  In 1948 the name changed again, to Galletera Mexicana SA.  Finally, in 1978, the company changed its name yet again, to Gamesa.  In 1990 it was absorbed into the American PepsiCo company.
     The La Moderna Group was founded in nearly the same year, in 1920.  This pasta-making business was then known as La Fabrica de Pastas Alimenticias La Moderna company, and was owned and operated by the Vendral brothers and Don Alberto A. Henkel.  Normally I'd follow the owners and name changes up through to the present, but I'm going to abstain on this one, as the company history is extremely complicated and detailed.  Suffice it to say that the La Moderna company recognizes Eduardo Monroy Cardenas as its founder, and he acquired the business in 1959.  See the official company website for more information.  Besides cookies, La Moderna also sells flour, pastas, and some salty snacks.
     I'm going to have very little to say about the final company, Galletas Juanita, because I found their website to be extremely terse.  My inability to read Spanish also surely didn't help out matters, as the translation I got seemed a little lacking, too.  I can tell you that the logo for their Juanina brand is a girl with pigtails carrying a tray(?) and a flower, and who looks thrilled to be doing so.
     Anyway, here are the ratings.

1) Gamesa Barras de Coco, coconut flavored cookies.  Made for the Frito-Lay company in the U.S.  These were yellowish-brown cookies which were roughly rectangular and about 5 cm. (about 2 inches) long by 2.5 cm. (about 1 inch) wide.  They had a rough exterior, and 3 small holes along the center axis.  They were crunchy, and had a definite detectable coconut flavor.  They weren't very sweet.  So I found them to be mediocre at best.

2) Gamesa arcoiris, marshmallow cookies.  These were layered, with a base yellow brown cookie platform covered with 4 marshmallow pieces atop this.  The shape was square, about 1.5 inches (about 4 cm.) to a side.  And the marshmallow bits were 2 pink, and 2 white.  These were pretty good. The marshmallow was suitably creamy and tasty, with a satisfying crunch at the base.  So not spectacular, but better than average.

3) Galletas Juanita company, Juanina brand of tartaletas surtidas.  These were roundish, with scalloped edges and a dollop of hardened jelly in the center at the top.  There were four different flavors.  The cookie base for all of them was good, kind of soft and chewy.  The apricot kind probably had the strongest flavor.  Alas, I'm not that fond of apricot, so this wasn't that great.  The pineapple kind was more bland, and not that pleasing, either.  Conversely, the blackberry variety was good--rather tart, in a good way.  And the strawberry kind was tasty, too.  Therefore, I enjoyed the cookie part in all of them, but the fruit jelly topping flavors were a little inconsistent.

4) La Moderna Marianitas, pecan flavor.  They were roundish, with scalloped edges around the circumference, about 6 cm. (about 2.25 inches) in diameter, and a hole in the center.  And yellowish-brown in color.  These had a slight pecan tint to them--not as good as Pecan Sandies, say, but solid once more.

     Overall, then, my impression of the Mexican cookies was favorable, but not wildly enthusiastic.  All of them were at least okay, and some were slightly better than that.  I should note that these were all noticeably inexpensive, as all were about $2.50 for the box or container.  The Gamesa boxes in particular were huge, containing about 40-50 individual cookies.  So these selections were a good value, for solid, if not awesome desserts.