Southern Greens with Potlikker

by | Jun 19, 2014 | Side Dishes | 0 comments

Pot liquor or potlikker? However you spell it, it is the wonderfully flavored broth left over from cooked greens. The great debate goes back to the 1930s, when a senator was going on about the virtues of potlikker during a filibuster. A reporter wrote about it, the Lieutenant Governor from Georgia commented on the article, and history was made.

From The New York Times, 1982:

In an article on Senate debates on food that ran on this page Feb. 10, mention was made of a 1935 filibuster in which Huey Long lectured his colleagues on the merits of potlikker. Due to an unfortunate consultation with a dictionary, that great Southern delicacy was referred to as ”pot liquor,” prompting the following communication from a regional authority on the subject:

Dear Sir:

I always thought The New York Times knew everything, but obviously your editor knows as little about spelling as he or she does about Appalachian cooking and soul food.

Only a culinarily-illiterate damnyankee (one word) who can’t tell the difference between beans and greens would call the liquid left in the pot after cooking greens ”pot liquor” (two words) instead of ”potlikker” (one word) as yours did. And don’t cite Webster as a defense because he didn’t know any better either.”

Sincerely,

ZELL MILLER

Lieutenant Governor State of Georgia

Here’s a simple recipe for Southern greens. Use whatever greens you have in your garden: collard, mustard, turnip, kale. Or use them in combination. Either way, serve the resulting ‘pot liquor’ with the greens as they are served.

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Southern Greens with Potlikker
Ingredients
  • 8 cups water
  • 1 pound boned smoked pork shoulder cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 3 pounds greens such as collard, mustard, kale, or turnip
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Place the water and smoked pork shoulder in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Simmer for 1 hour. Taste, and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add in the greens, and cook over high heat until tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.
  3. Transfer the greens and pork to a serving platter with a slotted spoon. Moisten them with about a quarter cup of the potlikker.
  4. Serve the remaining potlikker with the greens tableside.

Resource:

“POT LIQUOR OR POTLIKKER?” The New York Times. The New York Times, 22 Feb. 1982. Web. 18 June 2014.