An Indiana Barbecue

The heartland has given us some amazing and rib sticking dishes. It comes as no surprise that one Midwestern state, Indiana, has created some hearty ones that combine the state's farm bounty married to the different indigenous and immigrant recipes.It is a tasty and varied cuisine.


The state is known for its' endless cornfields so it's no wonder that barbecues  feature platters of roasted ears with plenty of melted butter on the side. Hoosiers also like a bowl of grits or corn mush, a simple to make dish using only corn  meal and water. Honey and cream can be added for a breakfast or cheese can mixed in for a side  - or even an easy Sunday supper.Southern Indianians are influenced by Kentucky it's no wonder that they enjoy burgoo and barbecue. Burgoo, is a tasty stew . a take on Brunswick stew and it's loaded with chicken, beef, pork, and at times, squirrel(!)Lamb and/or veal is also  thrown in for extra flavor .It is also a mélange of veggies and beans with tomatoes, okra and carrots along with lima beans mixed in.Sometimes Worcester or steak sauce is used in the recipe for dash. Barbecue is also another Kentucky import, and there are several famed barbecue joints in the state's southernmost city , Evansville where there is even a barbecue festival in September. Many German immigrants settled through out the state in the 1800s and many  have grown up with spaetzles, sauerkrauts and various wursts and beers


The state is also known for its' relatively substantial Amish population. They contribute the dessert cream pie which is somewhat similar to the Kentuckian chess pie. These are rich  yet simple pies, that are made with whole cream, brown sugar and butterscotch. It's kind of a butterscotch  pudding kind of pie that has made its' way to a holiday and picnic tables alike. Indiana farm country is full of fruit trees such as the peach and it also figures prominently in desserts. Cobblers are big throughout the Hoosier State, and again they are simple and delicious.It's just a deep dish pie with a rich scratch  biscuit crust The peaches have to be fresh and just picked  for a more intensive flavor and fresh whipped cream has to be served with it. Farms also produce strawberries and rhubarb and there is also and always fresh strawberry pies and jams along with rhubarb pie too. Persimmon pie is another famed dessert, a blend of the exotic with the familiar. It's basically a cream pie with the addition of a cup of persimmon pulp added for color and zing.

Heartland cooking is always the best.It is rib sticking and hearty, tasty, full of the harvests from local family run farms. This is Indiana cuisine at its' best.