Succotash

From what is known, succotash is a dish originally given to English settlers by the Native people of what became Massachusetts. Interestingly, while succotash came from New England, the dish found a devoted following in the southern part of the United States, although its cheap ingredients, and the availability of those ingredients, made succotash a "go to dish" in bad economic conditions all over the country, especially during the Great Depression. When I was a kid, succotash was pretty common, but that's not surprising, because those of us who grew up in the 1950s and 1960s were the children and grandchildren of those who survived the Great Depression and the rationing of World War Two; plus, we grew up with Warner Bros cartoon characters (Looney Tunes) saying, "Sufferin' succotash!"

 

Over the centuries, although especially before many foods were processed in ways to make them easier to prepare and consume, "msickquatash," the Algonquin from which English developed "succotash," was much more of a stew prepared by the Native and Colonial people with dried corn, dried beans and squash. Over time, Americans began to use lima beans, besides corn and other vegetables they had on hand, like "bell peppers" (red, yellow or green), and/or tomatoes (during the growing season). Preparation of this stew took more time to cook, but of course, when canned, and then frozen, vegetables became common, the preparation time dropped significantly. To me, from back when I was a kid, up until the time I began checking around about succotash, because I wanted to do an article about it, succotash was simply corn and lima beans. I wouldn't be surprised if other people have had the same belief. I must admit, I don't know of any special seasonings my mother or my grandmothers used, and I think they just used butter or margarine and some salt and pepper. Butter was something used for special occasions, if even then, by many people during the Great Depression; thus, margarine was likely used by average families, which certainly fit in with succotash being popular in hard times. Bacon, salt pork or ham hocks served as the meat part of a meal, as they were all cheap in those times.   

        

Succotash 

1 1/2 cups corn

1 cup dried cranberry beans

2 cups pumpkin, acorn squash or butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 to 2 inch chunks

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons salt (divided use)

1 bay leaf

water

2 tablespoons olive oil + 2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

The evening before cooking: rinse the dried beans under cold water, then put the beans into a bowl or pan and cover with fresh cool water (add enough water to go about 1 inch or so over the beans). Pick out any beans that are bad. Cover the bowl/pan with plastic wrap or a lid and let the beans sit about 15 to 18 hours. The next day, drain the beans and put them into a pan with 4 to 4 1/2 cups of fresh water, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 bay leaf. Bring to beans to a boil, then adjust the heat to maintain a steady simmer and cook for 1 hour; check to determine that the beans are tender. For the pumpkin/squash: put the pumpkin/squash chunks into a pan and cover with fresh water; add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil and then adjust the heat to maintain a steady simmer; simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pumpkin/squash are tender. Remove from the heat and drain.To a pan over medium heat, add the butter and oil. When the butter melts into the oil, add the garlic and let saute for about one minute, then add the corn, beans and pumpkin/squash. Season with pepper. Let cook 3 to 4 minutes, and serve.

 

Succotash and some cottage ham ...

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Thresh (thrash)-"Thresh" is related to "throw" and to "thread," both from the Germanic roots of English, and it is distantly related to "turn" and to "trauma," both words being of Greek origin, then borrowed by Latin, with "turn" borrowed by English from French, and "trauma" borrowed directly from Latin. "Thresh" goes back to Indo European "ter(e)," which had the meanings of "to rub, to twist, to turn." This gave Old Germanic "þreskanan" (þ=th), meaning "to separate seeds/grains from stalks/husks by beating or tramping on them." This gave Old English "þrescan/þerscan," by dialect, and the change of place of the "r" and "e, in the one version (this also happened in some other Germanic languages). These then became "thresshen," "threschen," "thrasschen," before "thresh" and the variant "thrash" (thrash is from the last quarter of the 1500s). The figurative use of the verb (as the "thrash" spelling) for "to beat someone severely," is from circa 1625, and the figurative noun use of "thrashing" for "a terrible beating" is from circa 1845. Relatives in the other Germanic languages: German has "dreschen," Low German "dröschen" and ", döschen," with the 'r' having died out, West Frisian "terskje," Dutch "dorsen" (once spelled "derschen"), Danish "tærske," Norwegian "treskja" and "treske," Swedish "tröska" and Icelandic "þreskja" (þ=th), all with the general meaning of "to thresh grains."

Lima Beans & Bacon

I've been making this dish since the mid 1990s and I use frozen green lima beans or frozen baby lima beans. Lima beans are named for the capital city of Peru, as the beans first were taken to Europe from Peru in around 1500. Of course, the interesting thing is, the Peruvian city name is pronounced as if "lee-mah," but the bean name is pronounced "lye-mah," as is the name of the city located in western Ohio. Why did this pronunciation difference come about? It may well have developed because the first exposure many English speakers had to the word was through the written word, which they then assumed to have a long 'i' sound, especially because not many English speakers were familiar with Spanish or Quechua, the South American Indian language of the Incas from which the word was derived.  

 

This is not a diet dish. Serve with boiled potatoes

 

Ingredients (6 side dish servings):

 

1 (12 ounce) bag frozen green lima beans or baby lima beans

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

3 tablespoons reserved liquid from the lima beans

12 slices smoked bacon

(optional) 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or other ground red pepper)

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter

 

Cook the beans separately first per the instructions on the package of the brand you use. Generally, the lima beans are put into a pan, covered with water and the water is brought to a steady simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes, with water added as needed. Drain, reserving three tablespoons of the cooking liquid.

To a shallow baking dish, add the lima beans, onion, cooking liquid, sprinkle on the cayenne pepper (if using), cover the beans with bacon slices, then sprinkle the brown sugar over the bacon, top with small pieces of butter scattered about. Bake in a preheated oven at 300 F for 40 to 50 minutes.

 

 

Lima Beans & Bacon along with fried potatoes and tomato slices ...

WORD HISTORY:
Truck/Truckle- "The most common modern meaning" of the noun is really American usage for a "hauling motor vehicle" (British usage for such a vehicle is "lorry"). This is only the history for the noun, for although the meaning of the verb form seems to tie in with the noun, they are really different words from different sources. The verb form means, "to deal or trade in something." The noun goes back to Indo European "dhregh," which had the notion, "to run, to move." This gave Greek "trekhein," which meant "to run," which then produced Greek "trokhos," meaning "wheel" (which made/makes devices move, run). This then produced Greek "trokhileia," which meant, "a collection of pulleys and wheels." This was borrowed by Latin as "trochlea," with the same general meaning. This gave French a form carried to England as "trocle," which was then borrowed into English and became "truckle," meaning "small roller type wheel." When cannons were put onto ships, they were mounted on "carts" on wheels, that also used a system of pulleys for a gun's recoil (the backward thrust of a gun when it is fired). The carts were termed "trucks," a short form of "truckle." The usage broadened to other carts and eventually was applied to heavy motor vehicles used for hauling in the United States prior to the outbreak of World War One in Europe.    

Greek Style Baked Lima Beans (Gigantes Plaki)

This is a vegetarian Greek dish, often served as an appetizer. The Greek name, "Gigantes Plaki," means "giant or large beans."

Ingredients:

1 pound dried lima beans
2 onions, chopped
1/2 carrot, chopped
 2 stalks celery, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup mint, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons oregano
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
2 cups tomatoes (chopped or diced with juice)
15 grape tomatoes, halved
2/3 to 1 cup water
 
Put the dried beans into 7 cups of hot unsalted water, bring the water to a rolling boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pan and let sit for 1 hour. Rinse the beans. Put the beans into a casserole dish or baking pan. In a pan, use some of the olive oil to saute the onion, carrot and celery, then after a few minutes, add the garlic. Saute just another couple of minutes. Keeping the pan on the heat, now add the mint, oregano, parsley, salt, pepper and the rest of the olive oil. Stir well. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, then stir in the tomatoes and the grape tomato halves. Add 2/3 cup water, mix well. Bring the mixture to a simmer for just a couple of minutes. Heat the oven to 350 (F). Add the sauce mixture to the beans and stir well. Bake for one hour, stir the beans. Bake another 35 minutes, stir lightly and see if more water is needed; if so, add 1/3 cup water and stir. Bake another 35 minutes, check to see if the beans are tender. Much, but not all, of the liquid should be absorbed. If the beans need more time, do so; otherwise, remove beans from oven for about 10 minutes before serving. You can drizzle a little olive oil over each serving.

You can click on the photo to enlarge it...

WORD HISTORY:
Kudos-This word goes back to Indo European "(s)keue," which had the notion, "be alert to, to pay attention, to recognize." This gave Ancient Greek the transliterated "kydos," then "kudos," meaning "fame." English borrowed the word in the very late 1700s, and the meaning gradually changed from "fame" to "the praise given to make someone famous, or to those already famous." While likely thought by most English speakers to be a plural form, the "s" ending is singular and is just a typical Greek word ending.