The Brunswick Stew Festival

Last year I didn't read Mark Fenske's blog until it was too late. This year I was prepared. After a year of curiosity about Richmond's Brunswick Stew Festival, my hunger for knowledge and for stew was satisfied today.

The Brunswick Stew Festival is held in the 17th Street open-air marketplace in Shockoe Bottom. For one day, stewmasters from across Virginia get together to compete for the honor of being the best Brunswick Stew makers in the state. Before moving to Richmond, I had never heard of Brunswick Stew. As someone who grew up in the Midwest, your typical chili cook off (complete with freshly shot venison) is more my speed. But as someone who desperately wanted to participate in (and win, though I didn't really cook at the time) a chili cook off as a kid, I felt called to the Brunswick Stew Festival from the moment that I heard of it.

By the time I arrived at the festival, some of the more popular or less prepared stew makers had already run out. But for a dollar a cup I was able to taste stew from a few different vendors. Quite good. What is Brunswick Stew, you ask? About.com informed me of the following:

"According to one story, Brunswick stew was named for Brunswick County, Virginia, where in 1828 Dr. Creed Haskins of the Virginia state legislature asked for a special squirrel stew from "Uncle Jimmy" Matthews to feed people attending a political rally. Brunswick, Georgia residents claim their stew is the original. It's just as likely the stew - at least a very similar version - was created much earlier. With the original ingredients of game (usually squirrel) and corn, and long simmering over an open fire, it's typical of early native dishes.

Brunswick stew is now most commonly made with chicken, or a combination of several meats, which might include rabbit, beef, and pork. Onions, corn, and tomatoes are usually included, and many recipes call for lima beans, peas, and/or okra."

In addition to the actual stew, I was impressed by the festival as a whole. The sunny day and the promise of great food pulled in quite a few people, several bands, a petting zoo of sort and even a unicycle-riding man who juggled flaming batons while talking to his audience via wireless mic. While I didn't walk away from the festival with a quart of my own, I really enjoyed seeing people walk around downtown Richmond throughout the day clutching multiple quarts.