Despite a perhaps undeserved backwoods image, Arkansas is like the rest of America: Christmas, although steeped in rampant commercialism, is the time for families to gather together and celebrate. But in Arkansas, the celebration takes on a southern spin. Yankee traditions like cranberry sauce are joined by dishes like southern cornbread and scalloped oysters. Fruitcakes are sometimes doused with a heavy measure of whiskey, perhaps reminiscent of frontier times when, as Mark Twain wrote in Life on the Mississippi, "The van-leader of civilization is never the steamboat, never the newspaper, never the Sabbath-school, never the missionary--but always whiskey!" In fact, in the early days of the Arkansas territory, eggnog made of nothing but eggs, sugar, and whiskey was very popular among the tavern crowd.
But today eggnog and most of the Christmastime food tradition in Arkansas are very similar to those almost anywhere else in the United States. A traditional Arkansan Christmas table would likely feature turkey or ham, cornbread dressing, candied sweet potatoes or sweet potato casserole, string beans, mashed potatoes, fruit salad, and a relish tray that includes homemade pickles, pickled watermelon, olives, carrots, and celery. There might also be a cranberry salad made with gelatin or one composed of chopped or ground cranberries, oranges, and pecans. Cranberry sauce, hot rolls, and a grits casserole round out the meal. For energetic early risers, fried quail with cream gravy is a traditional breakfast treat.
Of all of these, cornbread dressing is probably the most eagerly awaited. Every household has its own keepsake version of this staple, but all the recipes start out with a basic batch of southern cornbread, usually prepared without sugar. After baking and cooling, the cornbread is crumbled into large pieces and combined with celery, onions, and spices. Sometimes a little crumbled white bread is added as well. Chicken broth and eggs are added to moisten and congeal the mixture. If one wants to make cornbread stuffing for the turkey, less chicken broth is used.
For fun, especially if you do not like candied fruit, make an Arkansas fig fruitcake this holiday season. The recipe appearing in this article has been repeatedly reprinted in the pages of Arkansas newspapers for the last thirty years, and with good reason. It is a fabulous fruitcake with a deep rich taste. You will need a few hard-to-find ingredients, such as fig preserves and Ozark black walnuts, but hunting them down is worth it. Wilkin & Tiptree, an English company, makes a green fig preserve that is available in many upscale delicatessens. But it is quite expensive, and, because the recipe calls for one pint of preserves, you will need two jars. If you can't
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