My culinary tour of NC

(Mods, this post talks about both home-cooked food and foodstuffs I enjoyed in restaurants, so if this is not the right subforum for this message, please move.)

Last week, I had the chance to return to my beloved North Carolina to visit friends and family. My whirlwind tour of the state also meant I got to partake of some wondrous foods you just can't get here in the Midwest (or anywhere else, for that matter). Here is what I had the opportunity to either enjoy for the first time in years, or in one case, to try for the first time ever:

Liver pudding (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livermush) -- available only in NC, SC and Virginia due to its freshness, I have to admit I had never eaten this Southern delicacy. I think LTHers would enjoy this combination of pork liver, brains and spices. I ate just a tiny portion with my scrambled eggs. Now I can say I've tried it, but it just won't be on the regular rotation, even if I move back to NC.

Banana pudding! OK, anyone can make this, but no NC potluck dinner party would be worth its salt if someone didn't bring this classic dish.

Hush puppies! These delicate morsels of cornmeal that are deep-fried were deliciously served with honey butter that had a bit of cinnamon in it. Yum! I don't remember the name of the seafood restaurant where I enjoyed these tasty treats, but they also served up a mighty fine portion of lightly breaded and fried oysters and small shrimp. Who cares if the month of July doesn't have an "R" in it! These were fresh from the coast of NC and worth the eating, as were the shrimp. (I was staying on Oak Island at this point of my trip.)

Barbecue! Nothing says NC like pork shoulders smoked over hickory coals for at least 12 hours. If the restaurant doesn't have a cooker out back, keep going! What I like best about BBQ (and remember, in NC, that's a noun and not a verb), the meat is not doused with sauce when it comes to the table. Instead, you sauce it yourself. I like Eastern NC-style sauce, which is vinegar-based. The further west you go, the more sauces that use ketchup as a base. No matter where you get it, though, it's all good! The BBQ House on Oak Island also served up hushpuppies on its chopped platter, along with "red" coleslaw (vinegar sauce instead of mayo sauce). http://www.bestbbqonthebeach.com/index.html

On my last night in NC, at the quaint Yacht Basin Provision Company in Southport, I enjoyed shell-on steamed shrimp that was quite succulent, along with a so-so crabcake. This restaurant is fascinating in that it runs pretty much on the honor system -- you give your name to the hostess, then help yourself to your beverage of choice from coolers along the wall. Once they call your name for your table, they borrow a personal possession to mark your spot while you place your order at the counter. When you are ready to depart, you report the number of beverages you consumed and they are added to your tab. The place has been around forever and is worth a visit. http://provisioncompany.com/

All in all, a wonderful trip home. I can't wait to go back again, for both the camaraderie and the food!

Sharon