When The Moon Sings - May 17, 2025

The Commonwealth of Virginia included me among its inhabitants for many years.  I labored in it, slept in my own home in it, grew Lenten roses, learned back roads, and found one absolutely killer place for barbecue in Fredericksburg.  I have no personal issues with the Commonwealth.  Then I came to Georgia, which has proven to be an equally pleasant location, with a better stock of killer barbecue places.  Virginia suited me then; Georgia suits me now.

So when I learned about the simmering conflict between the two states, and simmering is the perfect word, I became distraught.  It’s like watching two old and valued family members scream at each other over a potato salad recipe or the distribution of assets from Uncle Morty’s will.

The latest volley in this dispute came from the State of Georgia, in the form of House Bill 233/AP, which became law at the beginning of May.  Governor Kemp signed the bill into law while on a visit to Savannah, as well as many others.  There are four sections to the bill, but we’ll initially deal with the second one.  It amends Title 50 by adding Code Section 50-3-94 as follows: “Brunswick stew is designated as the official Georgia state stew.” 

That’s the second part of the section – it’s the first part that causes conflict.  There are three statements.  First, that Brunswick stew is thick and rich and noted for signature ingredients of meat, vegetables, and tomatoes.  Second, that a plaque on an iron pot declares the first one was made in 1898 on Saint Simon’s Island, and third that Brunswick Georgia is the birthplace of Brunswick stew, contrary to claims by other states.  Uh-oh.

There are two other claimants as the birthplace of Brunswick stew.  One is the city of Brunswick, in Germany.  In German, Brunswick is Braunschweig, and is the undoubted source of Braunschweiger, a particularly flavorful sort of liverwurst.  The other is the county of Brunswick in Virginia.  The German city seems disinclined to joust over the origins, but Brunswick County VA has proven less docile.  They claim the first batch was served in 1828, by a somewhat lazy chef on a hunting expedition, and not anywhere in Georgia.

The dispute puzzles me.  Brunswick stew has many variations.  The three major ingredients are meat, lima beans, and corn.  To that, cooks add various other vegetables – okra and potatoes appear often, plus whatever vegetables happen to be in season.  Originally, the meat might be squirrel, opossum, or rabbit, but they have fallen out of favor.  Chicken has been the usual substitute, with barbecue pork as an addition or replacement.

The thick and rich sauce also has many variations.  Tomatoes and chicken stock appear often in modern recipes, but some also use barbecue sauce or hot sauce as well.  The renowned chef James Beard preferred squirrel for meat, and tomatoes and chicken stock for the sauce, amplified with hot sauce and some jalapenos, in case you didn’t get the bite.  I am unsure how available jalapenos were in the Virginia of 1828 or the St, Simons Island of 1898, but all dishes evolve over time.

I hold no brief for any of these.  As the result of some surgery many years ago, I was advised that legumes would account for more problems than nutrition.  I gave a silent cheer, for lima beans were never a favorite food.

Georgia has drawn a line in the sand with this bill.  I mentioned the bill has three other provisions.  They are as follows.

First, recognizing that sugar cane syrup has a long history in the state, the day after Thanksgiving will be known as National Sugarcane Syrup Day. The legislature presumes the enthusiastic concurrence of the other states, so, yes, national.

Next, again owing to a long and colorful history in the state, cornbread was selected as the official state bread.

Finally, the law now forbids any company in a country designated as a foreign adversary by the Department of Commerce from being awarded a state contract.  The original bill specifically mentioned China, but the state senate amended that language to be more general, lest we run into the same problems with Paraguay or Andorra.

The bill had a more complex history than you might think.  The original House bill passed with enthusiasm, 152 to 2, with 14 abstentions and 12 not voting.  That happened in February.  When the Georgia Senate took up the bill, they were more careful.  An amendment was proposed and voted down, 17 yeas and 36 nays.  The Senate then crafted a substitute bill, mainly adjusting the foreign adversary language, which passed in April, 52-1.  Three days later, the House agreed to the Senate substitute by 113-51.  The increased grumpiness may be due to the omission of China as a specific adversary.

So as of the first of the month, we have an official stew and an official bread, and a day recognizing sugarcane syrup.  It all seems logical enough, though I’m not sure I would have chosen the day after Thanksgiving to recognize sugarcane syrup.  In my particular home, the day after Thanksgiving has always been Leftovers Day, and sugarcane syrup rarely appears on the menu.  Perhaps the legislators do things some other way.

The legislators of both chambers avoided the pitfall of specifying a recipe for Brunswick stew, or cornbread, or sugarcane syrup, for that matter.  That restraint was statesmanlike.  Legislators are too often called upon to be very specific with their language, which can cause problems later.  Brunswick stew is not Beethoven’s Ninth or the Mona Lisa, with very specific notes and boundaries.  They realized that either all variations must be specified, or none would.  None was clearly the right choice.

Virgina’s reaction cannot be predicted, with the Georgia law being so new.  Having passed this and other legislation, the Georgia legislature is now in recess, while Virginia’s is still holding sessions.  Recessing now is the right tactic – when the Georgia legislature reconvenes, they will be better able to consider any reply from the Old Dominion. There’s something to be said for both sides – I wonder if the cooks waited until 1898 to plunk game meat into a tomato-based vegetable stew.  However it turns out, I would expect the lawmakers of both states to act with the foresight and wisdom that they have shown on this issue to date.  I will keep you informed as this situation evolves.