As the weather turns, it’s a great time to shift into soup (or stew) mode! Brunswick Stew is a fall favorite in North Carolina, though both Brunswick County in Virginia and the city of Brunswick in Georgia both lay claim to the origination of this recipe. Interestingly, the name of the stew could also have been developed in the city of Braunschweig, or Brunswick, in the northern German Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, from whence both American locations derived their name.

Although ingredients vary widely, traditionally this stew is tomato-based, containing corn, okra, peas or beans (especially limas or butter beans), potatoes, and one or more types of meat, including chicken or pork but also small game such as squirrel, rabbit, or opossum.

(Recipe on page 125)

Ingredients:
1 hogs head or fresh Boston butt
1 hen or 2 large fryers
4 large cans (No. 2 1/2) tomatoes
1 bottle tomato catsup
4 cans (No. 2) garden peas, drained
4 cans (No. 2) butter beans, drained
2 cans (No. 2) cream-style corn
2 cans (No. 2) whole kernel corn
4 cups diced potatoes, cooked
4 good size onions, diced
Worcestershire sauce, sugar, Texas Pete (hot pepper sauce), salt and pepper to taste

Cook meat and chicken until tender [Retain broth from chicken and fat from chicken and pork]. Dice meat and combine with tomatoes and onions; cook until onion is tender. Add drained peas, drained butter beans, catsup, and seasonings. Cook until well blended. Add potatoes and corn last. Add broth from cooked chicken as needed and season with fat from chicken and pork.

[Recipe submitted by] Mrs. Vernon Atkins