Hash is a name for a stew or gravy made of pork, offal and onions. It is usually paired with rice as "hash and rice". Hash is part of the cuisine of the Southern United States where it was invented as a way to use unappetizing cuts of meat. The dish is primarily consumed within the state of South Carolina, where it is commonly paired with barbecue. Many variations of hash exist, which include different combinations of meats and vegetables.
It was invented by enslaved communities around the Savannah River prior to the American Civil War. [1] The dish likely originated as a way to disguise cheaper, less appetizing cuts of meat left over from whole hog barbecues, including the head and organs, [2] by cooking them down into a soft, heavily seasoned stew that could be eaten with a spoon. [3] Food historian Robert F. Moss claims that the name "hash" probably comes from "haslet", an old English word for viscera. [2] There are various folkloric traditions about hash, including the belief that it should be cooked under the light of the moon. [4]
It became a common accompaniment to barbecue in South Carolina, served in restaurants [2] and "hash houses". [5] In the late 19th century, it was eaten in the neighboring state of Georgia but its popularity is mostly confined to South Carolina in the 21st century. [6] A notable exception is Augusta, Georgia, where hash is a part of the local food culture. [7]
Traditionally, hash contained hog's heads and liver, but this became less common as restaurants stopped roasting whole hogs for their barbecue, and organ meats became less popular in the late 20th century. [8] Instead, many modern barbecue restaurants prepare hash with leftover pulled pork, especially pork shoulder. A 2020 article in The Post and Courier claimed that hash was at risk of vanishing from South Carolina restaurants; [7] however, Moss contested this claim in an article in Southern Living , noting that many newly opened restaurants in South Carolina added hash to their menus. [8] A study of restaurants serving hash in South Carolina found that it was particularly popular around Columbia. [9]
Hash is considered a stew or gravy. [10] The primary ingredients in hash are pork, offal, onions, and seasonings which are slowly stewed together. [3] [11] Traditionally, hash was made by stewing the ingredients in an iron kettle over a wood fire, a method which is still used by some restaurants and hash houses. [12] [13] It is typically served over rice, as a dish called "hash and rice". [14]
Several variations of hash exist, which include different combinations of ingredients. [15] [16] Vegetables such as potatoes, carrots and corn may be added to this. [5] [17] Mustard is also commonly added to hash among German communities in the Midlands of South Carolina. [12] Vinegar is often added to hashes in the South Carolina Lowcountry. [5] In upstate South Carolina, hash often includes beef or a mixture of pork and beef with large amounts of onions. [5] [18]
Cajun cuisine is a style of cooking developed by the Cajun–Acadians who were deported from Acadia to Louisiana during the 18th century and who incorporated West African, French and Spanish cooking techniques into their original cuisine.
Soul food is the ethnic cuisine of African Americans. It originated in the American South from the cuisines of enslaved Africans trafficked to the North American colonies through the Atlantic slave trade during the Antebellum period and is closely associated the cuisine of the American South. The expression "soul food" originated in the mid-1960s when "soul" was a common word used to describe African-American culture. Soul food uses cooking techniques and ingredients from West African, Central African, Western European, and Indigenous cuisine of the Americas.
The cuisine of the Southern United States encompasses diverse food traditions of several subregions, including cuisine of Southeastern Native American tribes, Tidewater, Appalachian, Ozarks, Lowcountry, Cajun, Creole, African American cuisine and Floribbean, Spanish, French, British, and German cuisine. In recent history, elements of Southern cuisine have spread to other parts of the United States, influencing other types of American cuisine.
Louisiana Creole cuisine is a style of cooking originating in Louisiana, United States, which blends West African, French, Spanish, and Native American influences, as well as influences from the general cuisine of the Southern United States.
Tripe is a type of edible lining from the stomachs of various farm animals. Most tripe is from cattle, pigs and sheep.
Offal, also called variety meats, pluck or organ meats, is the internal organs of a butchered animal. The word does not refer to a particular list of edible organs, and these lists of organs vary with culture and region, but usually exclude skeletal muscle. Offal may also refer to the by-products of milled grains, such as corn or wheat.
Hash is a dish consisting of chopped meat, potatoes, and fried onions. The name is derived from French: hacher, meaning 'to chop'. It originated as a way to use up leftovers. In the U.S. by the 1860s, a cheap restaurant was called a "hash house" or "hashery."
Peasant foods are dishes eaten by peasants, made from accessible and inexpensive ingredients.
A pig pickin' is a type of party or gathering held primarily in the American South which involves the barbecuing of a whole hog. Females, or gilts, are used as well. Boars and sows generally are too large.
Noodle soup refers to a variety of soups with noodles and other ingredients served in a light broth. Noodle soup is a common dish across East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Himalayan states of South Asia. Various types of noodles are used, such as rice noodles, wheat noodles and egg noodles.
Dinuguan is a Filipino savory stew usually of pork offal and/or meat simmered in a rich, spicy dark gravy of pig blood, garlic, chili, and vinegar.
Texan cuisine is the food associated with the Southern U.S. state of Texas, including its native Southwestern cuisine–influenced Tex-Mex foods. Texas is a large state, and its cuisine has been influenced by a wide range of cultures, including Tejano/Mexican, Native American, Creole/Cajun, African-American, German, Czech, Southern and other European American groups. The cuisine of neighboring states also influences Texan cuisine, such as New Mexican cuisine and Louisiana Creole cuisine. This can be seen in the widespread usage of New Mexico chiles, Cayenne peppers, and Tabasco sauce in Texan cooking.
The Eurasian cuisine of Singapore and Malaysia is a type of fusion cuisine.
A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients can include any combination of vegetables and may include meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef, pork, venison, rabbit, lamb, poultry, sausages, and seafood. While water can be used as the stew-cooking liquid, stock is also common. A small amount of red wine or other alcohol is sometimes added for flavour. Seasonings and flavourings may also be added. Stews are typically cooked at a relatively low temperature, allowing flavours to mingle.
South Carolina is home to several distinct styles of barbecue characterized by different cuts of meat, types of barbecue sauce and preparation. It is particularly well known for the heavy emphasis on pork and the popularity of a mustard-based barbecue sauce in the central part of the state.
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