Burgoo, Barbecue and Bourbon is an homage to Kentucky Cusine

 

 Kentucky Cuisine at its finest is celebrated in Burgoo, Barbecue and Bourbon

University Press of Kentucky continues to celebrate its native culiinary heritage with Burgoo, Barbecue & Bourbon : A Kentucky Culinary Trinity.  This work, a combination of folklore, history, recipes. Burgoo is basically a stew indiginenous to Kentucky  that has historically had a variety of ways in which it is prepared.  Indeed, some of the older Burgoo recipes included squireel, groundhog and wild rabbit.  Burgoo is/was often prepared to feed large crowds or groups such as an Army unit, community gathering or political event.  In general, all Burgoo recipes have meat from "one bird of the air" and one "beast of the field" usually smoked. Traditionally, Burgoo is often paired with other Kentucky culinary and spirit mainstays such as Barbecue and Bourbon.

This work is a celebration of this heritage.  It contains numerous recipes, some historic and legendary such as Dr. Bow Reynolds Recipe which included as some of the ingredients 40 bushels of tomatoes, 40 bushels of potatoes and 1 1/2 tons of beef. This recipe anecdotally could feed up to 10,000 This kind of recipe was typically used at political rallies in Depression era Kentucky when many Kentuckians were out of work as a result of Prohibition and there was not much certainty about where there next meal might come from for many.  There are also updated Burgoo recipes more suitable for viewing parties relating to the Superbowl, Kentucky Derby or Final Four the recipes of which are suitable for 8-10 people.

The book also touches on Kentucky's rich heritage of Bourbon production with a chapter devoted to Bourbon recipes familiar (Old Fashioned) and esoteric (Hot Tom and Jerry).  There are also chapters devoted to Desserts the idea being that the Burgoo, Barbecue, and Bourbon  all work in concert to create "A Kentucky Culinary Trinity" and are some of the foundations for the regional pride Kentucky natives have for their unique food and spirits.

The Birth of Bourbon chronicles the narrative of Kentucky's Native Spirit

Bottling Line Split, T. W. Samuels Distillery in Deansville Kentucky. The Split Lines might convey boxes on one side and bottles on the other, allowing for efficient packing and storage. (University Press of Kentucky)

One of the best recent coffee table style books relating to spirits, The Birth of Bourbon: A Photographic Tour of Early Distilleries (Photographs by Carol Peachee) is a hauntingly beautiful tribute to the origins of Bourbon told through the antiquated interiors and exteriors which help tell the story of Kentucky's singular connection with America's native spirit.

The architecture of many of these distilleries is surprisingly ornate and varied; the Old Prentice Distillery was built in the vein of Spanish Mission Architecture and the Old Taylor Distillery Company has arched stone windows and crenelation which gives the structure the grandiosity of a European Castle.

Many of the images, particuarly the interiors show a sense of historic decay.  Somehow, however, the decay has the kind of grandeur of Classical European ruins.  Ms. Peachee does a wonderful job of conveying the narritive, decay and beauty of these structures which helped define, and continue to define, Kentucky's history and heritage.