Once upon a time in Texas by Mable Cash 6-6-08
Texas boasts some of the best restaurants in our country, serving cuisine from all over the world. But ask a Texan about his favorite food and you’ll likely hear “smoked brisket,” “venison chili” or “apple/cinnamon kolaches.” For these are Texas foods. Perhaps they started out as something else back in Europe or Mexico but they have become uniquely TEXAN as settlers adapted the old recipes, to use what substitutes were available in their new environment.
Native Texas had a lot to offer in natural resources. The Caddo/ Hasinai Confederation of East Texas cultivated squash, corn, beans, pumpkins, tomatoes, potatoes, onions and other vegetables. Some fruits, such as grapes and melons grew wild. Wild game was plentiful and a variety of fish spawned in the lakes, rivers and along the Gulf coast.
It did take some time to adjust to Texas climate and the new surroundings. Stephen F. Austin, in a letter to his sister, wrote, “My work is basically sustained by: corn coffee, cornbread, milk and butter in a bachelor’s household of confusion, dirt and torment.”
Corn coffee was a thin, bitter brew made by steeping burned corn in water and likely caused Austin to long for the real thing. Austin in correspondence with his cousin Capt. Henry Austin, suggested that he look along the Rio Grande Valley and consider establishing a coffee plantation. Although Texas settlers never managed to grow their own coffee, they did learn to take advantage of foods that grow in Texas.
They learned to dry wild blackberries, plums and grapes to use for fruit pies during the winter months. They served “wilted salads” made of wild greens, onions and a mixture of hot bacon drippings with vinegar. Sugar was replaced with molasses because sorghum grew better than sugar cane in the area. Cornmeal took the place of wheat flour because Texas climate was too hot for good wheat production.
The concoctions we consider unique to Texas cuisine are the direct results of, “waste no, want not” approach. Chicken fried steak and barbecue developed as cooks attempted to make the toughest cuts of meat edible, perhaps even desirable. Tough and gamey wild life were stewed with lots of chili peppers to overpower the bad taste. (It’s been said that chili made this way and served in the San Antonio jails was so good that prisoners broke parole just to get some more.)
Whatever happened to be put on the dinner table, coffee was served along with it. Coffee was listed as a staple on provisions lists from the Texas Rangers’ chuck wagon supply to Gen. Zachary Taylor’s troop rations in the Mexican/American War. A pot of coffee was kept boiling on the stove in pioneer homes for their family or unexpected guests. During the Civil War, Texans experimented, having to make do with a hot drink made of parched grain….acorns, okra, corn and other seeds. Likely, Stephen F. Austin would have offered his sympathy.
While unexpected visitors could be sure of a warm welcome from frontier families, our famous Texas hospitality didn’t always apply to rough hash joints of the early frontier. A traveler, studying the menu from one such place, ordered vol-au-vent, a mixture of meat and vegetables in a cream sauce, served in a puff pastry. The proprietor stuck his .45 in the customer’s ear and growled, “You’ll have the hash.” Faced with such a hearty recommendation from the chef, the customer ordered the hash and enjoyed it!
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