Bulldog gravy explained

Bulldog gravy was a Great Depression-era foodstuff associated with American coal miners,[1] [2] [3] which consists of a mixture of milk, flour and grease.[4] Contemporary recipes give the proportions as "1/4 cup drippings from frying sausage, bacon, chicken, or pork chops, mixed with 1/4 cup flour and 2 cups milk".[5]

It is eaten with beans or over a "water sandwich" (bread soaked in lard and water).[6] A version where water is used instead of milk also exists.

These dishes preexisted the Great Depression and were common foods among the poor at least before World War I and likely earlier. In the Midwest Bulldog Gravy was known as Monkey Gravy, but there it was often made without any fat. Lard Sandwiches were common (a slice of bread spread with lard). Open face if with beans or a closed sandwich for a school child's lunch. Soaking the bread in water and lard was unknown. Dessert would be an open face lard sandwich sprinkled with a spoonful of sugar.

Popular culture

Bulldog gravy is mentioned in the lyrics of the Appalachian lament Man of Constant Sorrow (or Girl of Constant Sorrow, depending on the performer).[7]

It is also mentioned in the lyrics of Sarah Ogan Gunning's "Come All You Coal Miners", covered with the title shortened to "Coalminers" by the alt-country group Uncle Tupelo, on their album, March 16–20, 1992.[8]

See also

References

  1. Book: Poppendieck, Janet . Breadlines knee-deep in wheat: food assistance in the Great Depression . 2014 . Univ. of California Press . 978-0-520-95842-5 . Updat. and expand . Berkeley, Calif..
  2. Book: Portelli, Alessandro . They say in Harlan County: an oral history . 2011 . Oxford Univ. Press . 978-0-19-993485-0 . The Oxford oral history series . New York, NY.
  3. Web site: Kelly . D. B. . 2018-09-05 . Unusual Foods People Used To Eat . 2024-05-13 . Mashed . en-US.
  4. Book: Harlan Miners Speak: Report on Terrorism in the Kentucky Coal Fields. Dreiser. Theodore. Cohen. Lester. University Press of Kentucky. 2008. 978-0-8131-9187-4. Lexington, KY. 85. en.
  5. Book: Food and Everyday Life on Kentucky Family Farms, 1920-1950. Willigen. John van. Willigen. Anne van. University Press of Kentucky. 2009. 978-0-8131-4977-6. Lexington, KY. 17–18. en. 2006.
  6. Book: Montgomery, Michael . Dictionary of Southern Appalachian English . Heinmiller . Jennifer K. N. . Hall . Joseph S. . Montgomery . Michael . 2021 . The University of North Carolina Press . 978-1-4696-6254-1 . Chapel Hill.
  7. Web site: I Am A Girl of Constant Sorrow (SARAH OGAN GUNNING) (1930s). www.folkarchive.de. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20020610183853/http://www.folkarchive.de:80/girl.html . 2002-06-10 . 31 January 2020.
  8. Web site: Antiwar Songs (AWS): Sarah Ogan Gunning - Come All You Coal Miners. www.antiwarsongs.org. en. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150113131439/http://www.antiwarsongs.org/canzone.php?id=33917&lang=en . 2015-01-13 . 31 January 2020.


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