If there's one topic that just will never go away when discussing N.C. heritage, it is barbecue.
And, in N.C., there are basically two "parties" when it comes to the delicacy: eastern-style or Lexington.
A recent event in Lexington gave food writers from across North America the opportunity to sample both.
"Cecil Conrad of The Barbecue Center on North Main Street provided the Lexington-style portion of the menu: chopped sandwiches, red slaw and hushpuppies," writes the Lexington Dispatch. "Ed Mitchell, a well-known barbecue caterer from Wilson, provided eastern North Carolina-style barbecue, coleslaw, corn sticks and Brunswick stew. Barbecue expert Bob Garner, author of the book 'North Carolina Barbecue: Flavored by Time,' presented a short history of barbecue in the state and explained the different traditions.
" 'What you're eating is sort of North Carolina's official food of celebrations, whether it's East or West,' he told the crowd. 'It has always been that way. ... Why? Because it was a cheap way to feed a big crowd.'"
Of course, I'm partial to eastern-style. But Garner goes on to make a great point: people think the best barbecue comes from wherever they grew up.
"I think North Carolinians like to talk about barbecue even more than they like to eat it."
1 comment:
I went to the Lexington BBQ festival this year. I actually fell in love with western BBQ. Owen loves eastern BBQ but I have never liked it. So where can I go in Raleigh to get western style BBQ?
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