According to culinary historian Michael Twitty, cymlings “have a special place in early African American history as they were one of the few squash commonly grown and consumed by the enslaved community.” And certainly this recipe hails from a plantation where that fact is relevant. “The Plains” (also known as Ophan’s Gift, demolished in 1958)…
What does one do if they have too many tomatoes and no plans for an afternoon? Must be time to make a condiment. Catsup, Ketchup… most people think tomatoes when they think of ketchup. In truth, the Tomato is a newcomer to the ketchup game, with previous recipes involving anything from walnuts to mushrooms to…
When I think of an emblamatic Maryland food – something that represents the abundance that Marylanders have enjoyed, the unique terroir, a key component of past economy – I think of Eastern Shore Tomatoes. My passion for Eastern Shore tomatoes (and watermelons) cannot be over-stated. Three standard meals fed us during the summers at my…
Fried Green Tomatoes are far from a Maryland-specific food but they fit nicely among Maryland fare for a few reasons. The Southern-ness of Fried Green Tomatoes, mistakenly taken for granted since the 1992 film, is now being exposed as questionable. Maryland, though perhaps not Marylanders, can relate to this questioned Southern identity. Recipes for fried…
As a wise person once said: “Green corn, we believe, is essentially a Maryland herb, for here only is it found in full perfection. Go south but a hundred leagues, and the best hotels will serve you corn that leaves a lingering feeling of imitation and inauthenticity. It is, as it were, a bit lousy….