Kentucky's Unique American Cuisine

Kentucky cooking is not limited to the familiar red and white striped bucket of fried chicken from "the Colonel's." Although Harlan Sanders secret blend of eleven herbs and spices might be the best-known Kentucky delicacy, the state has a far more diverse and interesting culinary tradition. Kentucky food ranges from skewered squirrel to mint juleps. The state's eating habits reflect its unique history and heritage.

Before mining became the state's leading industry, small farmers who managed to squeeze a living out of the hardscrabble terrain populated forested Kentucky. The Kentucky diet was not based on extra crispy fried chicken breasts. Instead, it was filled with local vegetation and whatever meat one could acquire from the surroundings.

Kentuckians learned to make meals of meaty squirrels and opossum when they were unable to take down a deer while hunting. Crawfish and frogs were at the centerpiece of many tables, accompanied by family-grown corn and beans.

In time, the mines began to grow and the woods disappeared in their wake. This caused a shift in the Kentucky cuisine. Pork, often "imported" from neighboring Ohio became a mainstay of the Kentucky dinner table, as fewer locals were able, or compelled, to scare up their own dinner with a rifle. Ham was the most appreciated pork product, as it was cured and could keep for an extended period prior to electric refrigeration. That tradition lives on in Kentucky, where ham remains a popular dish.

Today, Kentucky is better known for some of the other treats it has produced. Of course, the smiling countenance of Harlan Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame is intimately associated with the state, as is the sweet Derby Pie created in recognition of the Kentucky Derby.

In Kentucky, the food is not always the most popular item on the table. The state is known for its beverages. A strong Scot-Irish tradition came with some of the area's earliest white settlers. Whiskey and bourbon remain popular and plentiful--with many well-known brands produced within Kentucky's borders. The liquor does not always stay in the glass, either. Crushed cookies are soaked in the booze, cooked again and rolled in confectioner's sugar to produce a local delicacy known as a bourbon ball.

After enjoying a slice of the aforementioned Derby Pie, many Kentuckians enjoy the world's most famed horse race while sipping a mint julep, flavored with locally grown mint.

Those who do not imbibe are not left dry. Kentuckians, like many in the south, also appreciate a cold glass of sweet tea in the summer months.

If one is looking for complicated dishes featuring a variety of subtle flavors and gourmet treatments, the food of Kentucky may be a disappointment. However, if one is more of a gourmand than a gourmet, this southern state may be a food favorite. The simple dishes and bold flavors of Kentucky's wild game, along with the spiked refreshments that often follow, form a unique American cuisine that stretches well past the boundaries of any KFC menu.