Language of the Blues - Edmonton Blues Society

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The word chitterling comes from Old English. It described the ruffle on a shirt, which
when ironed resembled small intestines. 100 The French word is andouille; hence andouille
sausage, made from chitlins and tripe.
In the southern American colonies, hogs were slaughtered in December. The hams and
chops went to the main house, and the hog guts, ears, feet, and other leftovers were given
to the slaves. After Emancipation, the practice continued, only the guts were scooped up
after the slaughter and sold for a few cents a pound, shit and all (see also gutbucket).
Today chitlins are still a winter holiday tradition in many African American households.
Boiled chitlins are dressed with hot sauce and served with ham, turkey, macaroni and
cheese, collard greens, and sweet potato pie. Some African Americans consider chitlins
slave food, though, and refuse to eat them. Papa Charlie Jackson expressed his opinion in
Now some people say chitlings are good to eat
Chitlins are also popular among Southern whites, in Cajun cooking, and in Mexico,
where they are eaten in a spicy tomato soup. 101
Chitlin preparation is lengthy, tedious, and stinky. Today chitlins are sold partially
cleaned, but they still require a very thorough hand cleaning by the cook. According to
with this effort comes a lot of waste as you throw away the fat and grit. When you are
buying chitlins that require cleaning, be prepared to buy ten pounds of chitlins to get five
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The goal of cleaning is to remove the fat from inside the chitlin. The fat side has a
different color than the meaty side, so you just scrape off the fat and any dirt and grit,
while repeatedly rinsing. Once separated, cleaned, and thoroughly rinsed, toss the chitlins
in a pot of boiling water with a little vinegar, salt, pepper, and onions. While cooking, the
chitlins will give off a strong smell. Some cooks toss a potato or apple into the pot to
absorb the odor.
Songs:
- Junior Wells (Amos Blakemore)
- Kenny Burrell (covered by Stevie Ray Vaughan)
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