These 15 Iconic Foods In Kentucky Will Have Your Mouth Watering
By Jenn Shockley|Updated on September 23, 2022(Originally published September 18, 2022)
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Jenn Shockley
Author
I am somewhat a cliche'. I grew up running around barefoot on a farm in Kentucky.
I love writing, art, sunshine, all animals and my incredibly patient husband, who tolerates my "crazy animal lady" side.
Good ole’ Kentucky home cooking is on the list of things people miss once they leave the Bluegrass State. We have our own twist on old southern favorites that you might not find elsewhere. Real southern cuisine can be a shock to the system of those who haven’t tried it, and simple food combinations serve up powerful flavors. Some say it is from the love that goes into making it, though that cannot be confirmed for sure. Here are 15 examples of iconic Kentucky foods:
This is not your average mutton. These fries are popular in the Bluegrass and Cumberland Plateau areas, which include most of the northern part of the state. Lamb fries are not your average slice of mutton. They are actually lamb testicles, cut into thin strips, lightly breaded, and then fried. They are usually served with Bechamel sauce, which is a cream gravy of meat grease, flour, and milk. I’ve heard they are quite good, but have not been compelled to try them.
This was a discovery I made within the past year, due to its popularity in a different region of the state. You take a nice, thick dollop (or five!) of chili and serve it on a hotdog bun. Cheese, onions, or jalapenos can be added for variation, but all are tastier than you’d think. No, the hotdog itself has not been forgotten but is excluded on purpose. It is really tasty.
Think pancakes but stack them with a layer of fried apples, or other fruit or jam in between each pancake. You can stack them however high you want and get creative with the middle. Some people add salted caramel now, but I’ve always appreciated the more traditional fruit layers. If you want syrup or sorghum, it becomes a very sweet, but filling breakfast or snack.
For centuries, deer have been a popular source of food for hunters and their families. It keeps well and can be made in a variety of ways for future use. People tend to make everything from roast to sausage using the meat. A specific number of tags are released yearly for hunting and population control. Those caught hunting without tags are heavily fined, can lose their license, and face jail time.
This Kentucky bourbon treat is often served on holidays and during the Kentucky Derby festival. There are a variety of different spins on the traditional recipe, with some people adding mint to mimic Mint Juleps and other flavor combinations. Different liquors are used as well, like rum, but bourbon is the Bluegrass State’s tradition since its popularity grew via Ruth Booe of Rebecca Ruth Candy in 1938.
This traditional open-face turkey sandwich with tomato, bacon, and Mornay sauce began at the Brown Hotel in the early 1900s. Initially, it was a substitute for Welsh Rabbit and commonplace breakfast food to be served to guests that arrived around midnight or early morning. It gained popularity, evolving into our state sandwich, with versions now served in private homes and restaurants all across the state.
This was a staple in the Appalachians and most of Kentucky for decades. If you have leftover barbecue pork, and some potatoes and carrots, you just made burgoo. If you have rabbit and root veggies, it becomes burgoo. The thing about Burgoo is its flexibility. It is whatever you have to make it from and we have grown to love it.
Southern cooking at its finest, especially if it is made from the Purnells Old Folks Country Sausage. This pork sausage is made in Simpsonville, so technically, it should be the state sausage. Decades ago, this was a "stick to the ribs" breakfast that helped farmers make it till lunchtime.
Cornmeal can literally help make a lack of food into a meal. Think beans and cornbread. You can add water, seasoning, and a hambone (Or whatever.) to the pot, make cornbread, and the family is fed. A simple snack was mixing cornbread with milk, sometimes adding a tomato for more nutrition. Cornbread has been a stable food in the Appalachians and other poor communities over the decades. It is favored baked or pan-fried, aka Johnny Cakes and is still a favorite tradition for many. We have it at least once a week.
Pecan pie is popular all around the south, but we have three special variations. The Derby Pie is most common, simply adding dark chocolate to the filling. The second Derby variation features pecans soaked in bourbon, which is most appealing for bourbon lovers. The third utilizes bourbon-soaked walnuts instead of pecans and adds dark chocolate to the recipe. Choosing just one can be a challenge.
Marinara might be traditional, but barbecue is the sauce in Kentucky. We find switching out the traditional sauce and tossing in chicken and onions makes for perfection. Some pizza lovers will occasionally add pineapple or bacon to create an even more unique burst of flavor. I’m not saying this is strictly a Kentucky thing, but it has become a very popular pizza over the years.
The taste of bbq varies according to region and Kentuckian, but there is no shortage of it in this state. Some use a tangy vinegar-based sauce, others add varied ingredients to create unique, mouthwatering flavors. Barbecue sauces can be sweet, tangy, smokey, spicy, and combinations thereof. We use it on every type of meat you can imagine, right down to spam, and some vegetables too. Kentucky is so into Barbecue we host the International Bar B Q Festival in Johnny Depp’s childhood home town of Owensboro annually.
A lot of people love cheese, and many also love beer. In Winchester, they decided to mix the two together and create the Kentucky rival to Queso dip everywhere. If you have never tried Beer Cheese, don’t just try it once. Everyone has their own version and some are better than others. They pair up with soft pretzels, fry bread, bread sticks, chips, and pretty much anything you can dip. It can even be used as a hot cheese sauce on sandwiches. Versatile and delicious.
Being a land covered with vast amounts of both natural and man-made rivers and lakes, it is only logical that fish be a stable food. We have a variety of fish all across the state, but fried catfish is something you can find almost anywhere. Kentucky catfish is a meal you’ll want often after you have it right. There are secrets to good catfish other than the breading being just right, and Kentuckians have it down to a science.
It is amazing what meager ingredients went from survival food to something traditionally served for generations to come. Those who perfected Kentucky home cooking over the centuries have been immortalized via their meals, but every family has its favorites. What are your favorite examples of Kentucky home cooking?
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Kentucky foods
Sarah M.|September 23, 2022
What other things are Kentucky known for?
While food is definitely a big part of Bluegrass culture, we can't forget about its counterpart: drinks! And, of course, bourbon reigns supreme. Bourbon is a quintessential part of the Bluegrass; it isn’t just a Kentucky icon, it’s an inextricable, fundamental, celebrated part of the state’s culture and identity. Kentucky is world-famous for its bourbon, producing nearly 95 percent of the world’s supply of this spicy, sultry spirit. The reasons for this are numerous. Kentucky boasts some of the richest, most fertile soil in the country, ideal for growing the most essential ingredient in bourbon: corn. The water in Kentucky has a high pH and a high proportion of minerals, another key component of bourbon distilling. Geography, too, plays a role: Kentucky sits atop vast deposits of blue limestone, which filters out hard iron and imparts sweet-tasting calcium and magnesium, two elements crucial to the bourbon-making process. In terms of temperatures, Kentucky’s four seasons, and their dramatic temperature swings cause the charred oak barrels to expand and contract, which in turn give the spirit its copper color and distinctive taste.
But the final, and most important, part of the Bluegrass bourbon equation is Kentuckians themselves. Kentucky was first settled by immigrants from Ireland and Scotland, who brought the whiskey-distilling methods of the Old Country. This spirited tradition was handed down from generation to generation, laying the groundwork for the bourbon bounty that would later bloom in the Bluegrass. Today, it's a celebrated and inextricable part of Bluegrass culture -- bourbon lovers can even spend the night in the iconic Maker's Mark home!
In addition to hot browns and bourbon, Kentucky is known for being home to the world's largest underground cavern system, horse racing and the annual Kentucky Derby, the childhood home of Abraham Lincoln, the Houseboat Capital of the World, home to Red River Gorge, and ties to country music!
