Burgoo
Encyclopedia
Burgoo is a term used for many types of stew
or porridge made from a mixture of ingredients.
or Mulligan stew, often served with cornbread
or corn muffin
s.
Traditionally, burgoo was made using whatever meats and vegetables were available -- typically, venison
, squirrel
, opossum, raccoon
or game birds, giving it its mocking name "roadkill soup". Today, local Kentucky barbecue restaurants use a specific meat in their recipes, usually pork
, chicken
, or mutton, which, along with the spices used, creates a distinct flavor unique to each restaurant.
Burgoo making in Kentucky often serves as a social event, where each person brings one or more ingredients. In Kentucky and surrounding states such as Indiana, burgoo is often used for fund-raising for schools. This kind of event has been claimed to have been invented by the family of former Major League Baseball
player, Ollie Beard
. In Brighton, Illinois
, a local traditional burgoo is prepared and served annually at the village's summer festival, the Betsy Ann Picnic.
No standardized recipe exists, but it is a combination of at least three things. Today, the meat is usually one of or a combination of beef, pork, chicken, and mutton, often hickory-smoked, but other meats are seen occasionally. Vegetable
s such as lima bean
s, corn
, okra
, and potato
es have always been popular. A thickening agent of cornmeal
, ground beans, whole wheat, or potato starch
is all that most cookbook recipes use today, but it is traditional to add soup bone
s for taste and thickening.
The ingredients are combined in order of cooking time required, with meat usually going in first, vegetables second, and if necessary, thickening agents last. A good burgoo is said to be able to have a spoon stand up in it. Cinnamon
, nutmeg
, and other savory
spices can be added much like in Cincinnati chili
. Some varieties use cider vinegar
, hot sauce
, Worcestershire sauce
, or chili powder. These condiment
s are often made available for people to spice up their own bowl as well.
Burgoo is still widely served in Owensboro, the self-proclaimed burgoo capital of the world. While burgoo in Owensboro is generally associated with special events, such as church picnics and BBQ competitions, it is sold year-round in locally owned BBQ restaurants. Owensboro burgoo is made exclusively with mutton and pork as the meat base.
, burgoo was eaten for breakfast and consisted of coarse oatmeal and water.
On May 5, 2011, the last living veteran of WWI, British-born Claude Choules, died. He served in the Royal Navy during World War I. He remembers, "We'd come back and on the stove, Granny would have a big pot of porridge or as she'd called it 'burgoo'."
Stew
A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables , meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef. Poultry, sausages, and seafood are also used...
or porridge made from a mixture of ingredients.
North American usage
Burgoo is a spicy stew, similar to IrishIrish stew
Irish stew is a traditional stew made from lamb, or mutton, as well as potatoes, carrots, onions, and parsley....
or Mulligan stew, often served with cornbread
Cornbread
Cornbread is a generic name for any number of quick breads containing cornmeal and leavened by baking powder.-History:Native Americans were using ground corn for food thousands of years before European explorers arrived in the New World...
or corn muffin
Muffin
A muffin is an American English name for a type of quick bread that is baked in small portions. Many forms are somewhat like small cakes or cupcakes in shape, although they usually are not as sweet as cupcakes and generally lack frosting. Savory varieties, such as cornbread muffins, also exist...
s.
Traditionally, burgoo was made using whatever meats and vegetables were available -- typically, venison
Venison
Venison is the meat of a game animal, especially a deer but also other animals such as antelope, wild boar, etc.-Etymology:The word derives from the Latin vēnor...
, squirrel
Squirrel
Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...
, opossum, raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
or game birds, giving it its mocking name "roadkill soup". Today, local Kentucky barbecue restaurants use a specific meat in their recipes, usually pork
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
, chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
, or mutton, which, along with the spices used, creates a distinct flavor unique to each restaurant.
Burgoo making in Kentucky often serves as a social event, where each person brings one or more ingredients. In Kentucky and surrounding states such as Indiana, burgoo is often used for fund-raising for schools. This kind of event has been claimed to have been invented by the family of former Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player, Ollie Beard
Ollie Beard
Oliver Perry Beard was an American Major League Baseball player who played shortstop for the Cincinnati Red Stockings/Reds from 1889 to 1890. He then played third base for the Louisville Colonels in 1891. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, it is claimed that his family invented the Kentucky version of...
. In Brighton, Illinois
Brighton, Illinois
Brighton is a village located mostly in Macoupin County, Illinois and partially in Jersey County, Illinois. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the village had a total population of 2,254. The village's current mayor is Wayne Schafer....
, a local traditional burgoo is prepared and served annually at the village's summer festival, the Betsy Ann Picnic.
No standardized recipe exists, but it is a combination of at least three things. Today, the meat is usually one of or a combination of beef, pork, chicken, and mutton, often hickory-smoked, but other meats are seen occasionally. Vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
s such as lima bean
Lima bean
Phaseolus lunatus is a legume. It is grown for its seed, which is eaten as a vegetable. It is commonly known as the lima bean or butter bean.-Origin and uses:...
s, corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, okra
Okra
Okra is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of South Asian, Ethiopian and West African origins...
, and potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es have always been popular. A thickening agent of cornmeal
Cornmeal
Cornmeal is flour ground from dried maize or American corn. It is a common staple food, and is ground to fine, medium, and coarse consistencies. In the United States, the finely ground cornmeal is also referred to as cornflour. However, the word cornflour denotes cornstarch in recipes from the...
, ground beans, whole wheat, or potato starch
Potato starch
Potato starch is starch extracted from potatoes. The cells of the root tubers of the potato plant contain starch grains . To extract the starch, the potatoes are crushed; the starch grains are released from the destroyed cells...
is all that most cookbook recipes use today, but it is traditional to add soup bone
Stock (food)
Stock is a flavoured water preparation. It forms the basis of many dishes, particularly soups and sauces.- Preparation :Stock is made by simmering various ingredients in water, including some or all of the following...
s for taste and thickening.
The ingredients are combined in order of cooking time required, with meat usually going in first, vegetables second, and if necessary, thickening agents last. A good burgoo is said to be able to have a spoon stand up in it. Cinnamon
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods...
, nutmeg
Nutmeg
The nutmeg tree is any of several species of trees in genus Myristica. The most important commercial species is Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas of Indonesia...
, and other savory
Savory
Savory or Savoury may refer to:* Savory , herbs of the genus Satureja, particularly :** Summer savory , an annual herb** Winter savory , a perennial herb* Savoriness, a type of taste....
spices can be added much like in Cincinnati chili
Cincinnati chili
Cincinnati chili is a regional style of Chili con carne characterized by the use of unusual seasonings such as cinnamon, cloves, allspice or chocolate. It is commonly served over spaghetti or as a hot dog sauce, and is normally of a thin, sauce-like consistency, unlike most chili con carne...
. Some varieties use cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar, otherwise known as cider vinegar or ACV, is a type of vinegar made from cider or apple must and has a pale to medium amber color...
, hot sauce
Hot sauce
Hot sauce, chili sauce or pepper sauce refers to any spicy sauce made from chili peppers and other ingredients.-Ingredients:There are many recipes for hot sauces - the common ingredient being any kind of peppers. A group of chemicals called capsaicinoids are responsible for the heat in chili peppers...
, Worcestershire sauce
Worcestershire sauce
Worcestershire sauce , or Worcester sauce is a fermented liquid condiment; primarily used to flavour meat or fish dishes.First made at 60 Broad Street, Worcester, England, by two dispensing chemists, John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins, the Lea & Perrins brand was commercialised in 1837 and...
, or chili powder. These condiment
Condiment
A condiment is an edible substance, such as sauce or seasoning, added to food to impart a particular flavor, enhance its flavor, or in some cultures, to complement the dish. Many condiments are available packaged in single-serving sachets , like mustard or ketchup, particularly when supplied with...
s are often made available for people to spice up their own bowl as well.
Burgoo is still widely served in Owensboro, the self-proclaimed burgoo capital of the world. While burgoo in Owensboro is generally associated with special events, such as church picnics and BBQ competitions, it is sold year-round in locally owned BBQ restaurants. Owensboro burgoo is made exclusively with mutton and pork as the meat base.
Royal Navy usage
In the British Royal Navy of the Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, burgoo was eaten for breakfast and consisted of coarse oatmeal and water.
On May 5, 2011, the last living veteran of WWI, British-born Claude Choules, died. He served in the Royal Navy during World War I. He remembers, "We'd come back and on the stove, Granny would have a big pot of porridge or as she'd called it 'burgoo'."
See also
- Brunswick stewBrunswick stewBrunswick stew is a traditional dish, popular in the American South. The origin of the dish is uncertain, and there are two competing claims as to the place in the South where it originated, in addition to some claim to a German origin...
- Fish fryFish fryA fish fry is a meal containing battered or breaded fried fish. It typically also includes french fries, coleslaw, hushpuppies, lemon slices, tartar sauce, malt vinegar and dessert. Some Indian versions are cooked by coating fish with semolina and egg yolk...
, often an event and social group fund raiser - Southern Illinois chowderSouthern Illinois ChowderSouthern Illinois Chowder is a thick stew/soup very different from the New England and Manhattan chowders. The term "chowder" is of French-Indian origin. In Edwards County, Illinois, it refers to both the food and to the social gathering at which it is prepared and served. It is believed to have...
, another kind of social stew - BooyahBooyah (stew)Booya or booyah is a thick soup of unknown origin made throughout the Upper Midwestern United States. Booya often requires up to two days and multiple cooks to prepare; it is cooked in specially designed "booya kettles" and usually meant to serve hundreds or even thousands of people. The name also...
, a social stew popular in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin