There are just a few issues you’ll find in most Southern kitchens. A duplicate of “Calling All Cooks.” Some Conecuh Sausage. Perhaps a jug of Milo’s or Crimson Diamond tea.
We right here at AL.com determined to debate the one (or two) Alabama merchandise which might be at all times in our kitchen. So pull up a chair and sit a spell and let’s discuss a few of our favorites.
Golden Eagle Syrup
There are plenty of Alabama meals manufacturers I really like and may usually be present in my fridge and pantry, however my favourite amongst all of them, for sentimental causes, needs to be Golden Eagle Syrup. Made within the small city of Fayette, or “Syrup City” as I discovered it’s referred to as, Golden Eagle Syrup performed an enormous position in certainly one of my favourite household traditions rising up. For years, my grandmother would come over each Christmas morning and make us all biscuits from scratch. Then, whereas they have been nonetheless heat, she’d fill them with a combination of butter, peanut butter and a hefty pour of Golden Eagle Syrup. It was the sweetest morning deal with reserved just for that event, and I seemed ahead to it virtually as a lot as my items yearly. So now, as an grownup, I hold a jar of Golden Eagle Syrup round anytime my candy tooth (and nostalgia) kicks in.—Amber Sutton
READ MORE: The story of Alabama’s beloved Golden Eagle syrup
Wickles Pickles might be discovered at grocery shops in all 50 states.Amber Sutton
Wickles Pickles
If you happen to peek inside our fridge proper now, alongside the John’s Well-known Slaw Dressing and the Dreamland Bar-B-Que sauce, you’ll discover three or 4 jars of one other Alabama staple, Wickles Pickles. We hold extra jars within the kitchen pantry in case of emergency. The Authentic Pickle is an ol’ dependable that not solely enhances cheeseburgers and leftover Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches, however that we additionally serve with my do-it-yourself pimento cheese and Invoice-E’s Small Batch Bacon on a King’s Hawaiian roll for the proper gameday appetizer. And don’t dare throw away that liquid gold left within the jar when all of the pickles are gone. It is useful for brining a hen, boiling a batch of peanuts, mixing a mint julep — even relieving muscle cramps. (I’ve tried it! It really works!) My spouse additionally makes use of one other wickedly scrumptious Wickles product, the Depraved Okra, in an easy-to-make, guaranteed-to-please bacon-wrapped pickled okra appetizer that could be a hit each time she takes it to a celebration. – Bob Carlton
Bagels from Canadian Bakin’ in Huntsville
In case your bagel expertise has been the packaged/grocery retailer selection, this isn’t the identical sport. Utterly completely different freshness, texture and X issue. No matter Canadian Bakin’ proprietor/baker Matt Johnson does in his course of should contain witchcraft. – Matt Wake
“Centennial Collection” and different group cookbooks
Dale’s Seasoning is nice for marinating steaks, however loyal followers additionally use it in recipes for the whole lot from baked beans to Brussels sprouts.(Photograph courtesy of Dale’s Seasoning; used with permission)
Dale’s Seasoning
Not many Alabama meals manufacturers have been round longer and are extra iconic than Birmingham’s Dale’s Seasoning, the savory, soy sauce-based steak marinade that goes again to 1946, when the outdated Dale’s Cellar Restaurant opened in downtown Birmingham. That restaurant and the opposite Dale’s Steakhouse eating places that adopted are all gone – the final one closing in 2014 – however Dale’s Seasoning is just not solely nonetheless round, it’s nonetheless owned and operated by the identical household that began Dale’s practically 80 years in the past. After Dale’s grew to change into a nationwide model, their advertising of us put collectively a memorable advert marketing campaign with the catchy jingle: “How Do You Do Your Dale’s?” Loyal Dale’s prospects got here up with sufficient recipes to fill a cookbook – from grilled hen kabobs to stir-fried greens, baked beans to roasted Brussels sprouts, sloppy joes to Bloody Marys. As Alan Seigel, the vp of Dale’s Seasoning, as soon as informed me, “There is no wrong way to use it. You can put it on anything.” – Bob Carlton
Play Home Spices
The world of rubs, seasonings and marinades is wealthy with home-grown merchandise, and as a north Alabama native I’ll most likely at all times have a Sam’s Membership half-gallon jug of Dale’s steak seasoning readily available. However right here’s one thing newer that’s change into a family important in recent times: Play Home Spices, a line of hand-blended seasonings created in Cellular. The names are evocative of the Alabama panorama, such because the Ono Island rub, the Previous Dauphin Means blackening spices and the Causeway Mix candy warmth rub. Our go-to is the Dauphin Island Mix, which “combines the zest of the Caribbean with the flavors cherished by Gulf residents” and is especially beneficial for fish, shrimp and hen tacos. (Components embrace lime zest, orange zest, cumin and chives, so it’s no run-of-the-mill flavoring.) Play Home merchandise are made with out MSG and added sugar, and there are a number of low-sodium or salt-free blends. For full info together with the merchandise, recipes, and knowledge on ordering and shops, go to the corporate’s web site. – Lawrence Specker
Espresso from Kaffeeklatsch in Huntsville
Kaffeeklatsch roasts its espresso beans with a machine that’s virtually 100 years outdated. Roasting produces a posh aroma that wafts within the air downtown. That aroma has Pied Piper-ed many a first-time buyer into Kaffeeklatsch because it opened in 1977. The ‘Klatsch will get its beans from locations like Indonesia, Columbia and Kenya. – Matt Wake
