Meats!

It’s been awhile. Let’s get meaty.

The meat section begins on page 55 with a recipe for Swedish meatballs. The recipe calls for Zwieback crumbs. I had to look that up. I have no memory of the word ‘Zwieback’ but upon seeing a photo, I had a sudden, visceral, almost genetic knowledge of what these taste like. These crunchy, sweet, sort of fatty little fake toasts. I know someone fed these to me as child.

On page 56 we learn about Mexene meatballs. Mexene is a Texas chili spice mix that is, apparently, still in production today. This, and the Hot Tamale Pie recipe make me think that there must have been some big influx of Texican/Mexican culture that swept the nation.

We also have a recipe for “kiby” - or is it kibbi, or kibbeh - which looks to be a sort of a wheat and beef variation on a falafel - Lebanese in origin apparently. I’d love to know how some Tennesseans got turned on to Lebanese cuisine.