2008 Official Georgia Travel Guide

brunswick Rockin’ Stewbilee GEORGIA.ORG • 1-800-VISIT GA Official Georgia Travel Guide BoBBy Haven/The Brunswick news Decatur’s BBQ, Blues & Bluegrass Festival in August; Barnesville BBQ & Blues Festival in October; and the Cherokee Pignic in Canton each October. The coastal regions of Georgia enjoy fresh seafood caught in its rivers and in the Atlantic Ocean. Shrimp is the state’s most valuable seafood crop, and it is estimated that between 4.5 and 9.5 million pounds are harvested annually along the Georgia Coast. Shrimp and grits is one way to enjoy this Low Country fare. Although originally enjoyed as a simple home-cooked breakfast item, now the dish is served at any time of the day and is even found on the menus of fine-dining restaurants. It should also be noted that grits are the state’s official prepared food, and Georgia is home to the National Grits Festival, held in Warwick each year. Catfish is another of Georgia’s seafood notables, and a prime source of the fish is the Altamaha River—the largest river system east of the Mississippi. While catfish can be prepared a number of ways, fried catfish remains the handsdown favorite. Festivals celebrating these coastland delights include Kingsland’s Annual Labor Day Catfish Festival, Savannah’s annual Seafood Festival each November and Shrimp & Grits: The Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival, hosted on Jekyll Island each September. This weekend of fun includes both professional and amateur cooking competitions. Along Georgia’s southeastern coast, one can find specific cultural cuisine: that of the Gullah people. Although Gullahs living on the Georgia barrier islands are typically referred to as Geechees, their food remains the same. “One-pot” dishes, deep frying and a prevalence of rice are all mainstays in Geechee cuisine. Probably most important, however, is the distinct taste for which the food is known. Geechee cooks make it quite clear that the flavor is achieved according to individual taste, and this taste is passed from generation to generation. So although it is difficult for anyone outside the Geechee culture to duplicate the cuisine, it is easily enjoyed by anyone with taste buds. The annual Georgia Sea Island Festival is held on St. Simons Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival, Jekyll island GDEcD Island each June and celebrates the culture of the Gullah/Geechee people. Another Georgia favorite with deeply Southern roots is Hoppin’ John. Hoppin’ John consists of black-eyed peas and rice, seasoned with pork (often fatback, hock or hog jowls), and in the South it is traditionally enjoyed on New Years Day for good luck. There are many tales of how Hoppin’ John got its name, but the one most commonly embraced is that the name came from “pois pigeons” (pronounced “pwah peejon”), which means black-eyed peas in French Creole. This name, repeated over time by people of different dialects, eventually evolved into the name Hoppin’ John. At Melon Bluff in Midway, you can see where seminole red peas are grown for the Georgia version of Hoppin’ John for Historic Seabrook Village. The Smithsonian Institution currently has a traveling exhibit titled Key Ingredients: America by Food. The exhibit will be moving across the nation to rural communities to teach about the history and culture surrounding our country’s diverse cuisine. This exhibit will start traveling in Georgia in 2008, making stops at various cities: Buchanan, Dahlonega, Ellijay, Flovilla, Hapeville, Indian Springs, Kingsland, LaFayette, Thomson, Tifton, Vidalia, Vienna and Waynesboro. For more information, check out the Web site at keyingredients.org. Georgia can boast foods from many cultures, ranging from comfort to gourmet. This unique fare has international appeal and can be found in restaurants and markets across the state, particularly in and around larger cities. So it seems only natural that when Georgia’s on their minds, people may start getting hungry! n http://keyingredients.org http://www.georgia.org

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