THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 12, 1997 TAG: 9702110036
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 84 lines
CHITLINS: Are they ``a delicacy in their own right,'' or do they just plain stink?
Both, according to E. Frank Stephenson Jr., author of ``The Great American Chitlin Cookbook'' and lifelong chitlin eater.
While a lot of people recoil publicly at the notion of consuming the small intestines of pigs, Stephenson says there also are a lot of ``closet chitlin eaters'' who just don't want their diet to be the gist of jokes.
``People either laugh about them or eat them,'' Stephenson said.
Ken Brown, vice-president of Park Sausage Co. of Baltimore - a major supplier of chitlins to such supermarkets as Food Lion, Winn-Dixie and Safeway - goes so far as to call chitlins ``wrinkled steak,'' a cross between tenderloin and pig shoulder meat.
His company makes about 4,000 pounds of chitlins daily, some for export.
Any way they're depicted, Stephenson says, they're among ``the most important foods of the South,'' thus his decision to write about them and provide recipes ranging from traditional chitlins and grits to chitlin tacos.
Other goodies in his book: chitlin cheese ball, chitlin chowder, chitlins and cabbage.
Stephenson is an administrator at Chowan College in Murfreesboro, N.C., who usually writes about such topics as the Gatling gun and Parker's Ferry in northeastern North Carolina.
He emphasizes that his current book is about chitlins, not chitterlings. ``Yankees call them chitterlings,'' he says with a scowl. ``I don't know what the hell a chitterling is. I know what a chitlin is.''
He adds, ``I've been eating chitlins all my life, and they ain't killed me yet.''
He admits, though, ``they do stink up the house when you cook them. . . . Put chitlins and collards on the stove at the same time, and you'll run away your family, your neighbors and any friends you might have.''
Stephenson prefers his chitlins straight from the farm, sanitized but not over sanitized.
Stephenson's book tells about their preparation on the farms of yesterday - and, in some places, today. It is a rural ritual that usually takes place in January, traditional hog killing time.
``Cleaning chitlins is the most important thing,'' Stephenson said, painting a picture of people performing the task.
``They turn them inside and out and wash and wash them with rags tied on the ends of reeds. Then, they soak them in salt water for three days with the water being changed at least twice daily.
``Following the three days of soaking, the chitlins are usually scraped and boiled in an old iron wash pot over an open fire until they have tested to be tender.''
It's not exactly Norman Rockwell, but there is a picture there: a farmer dipping into a pot of boiling chitlins on a string, giving them a taste test.
``Then, he puts them in an old pan, liberally sprinkles them with vinegar and eats them then and there,'' said Stephenson, who eats his chitlins salted and with a splash of hot sauce.
Politicians on the campaign trail used to eat chitlins to prove their toughness to local voters, Stephenson explained: ``If the congressional candidate could eat chitlins, he could handle anything in Washington.''
Unlike those bold candidates, some chitlin eaters are ``afraid to come right out and let folks know they like them,'' he said,``. . . but closet chitlin eaters love `em as much as those who are out of the closet.''
T. Ashby Dashiell Jr., a retired Suffolk businessman who gets together with friends about three times a year for chitlin feasting, tells this story:
``It was at a party. Everybody was eatin' 'em. Then somebody said, ``You know what you're eating? CHITLINS!' They all spit at the same time.''
To get around such reactions, Brown said, you might try the packaged variety and those served in the few restaurants offering them.
Some of Park Sausage's chitlins are exported to Asia. ``Asians consider them a delicacy,'' Brown said. So do some Latins and African-Americans.
He said Mexican Americans use chitlins in a soup called menudo; chitlins used to be an English delicacy; in France, they serve chitlins and champagne.
Stephenson feels ``many of the world's problems might disappear,'' if people would heed his advice:
``Start your day with a tasty, hearty bowl of chitlins. . . . I seriously doubt you will have any trouble with anyone at the office bothering you.'' MEMO: ``The Great American Chitlin Cookbook'' is available for $10 from
Meherrin River Press, 301 E. Broad St., Murfreesboro, N.C. 27855. For
information, call (919) 398-3554. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
E. Frank Stephenson Jr., who has published this guide, says there
are a lot of ``closet chitlin eaters.''