Succotash
Derived from the American native Narragansett people who shared it with British colonists in the 17th Century and a word that means "broken corn kernels.”
Chronicled in the journals of English explorer, Jonathan Carver in the mid-1600s, he took the native language word for this dish "sahquttahhash" as "succotash,” and the burgeoning population of New England made it uniquely their own. In the beginning, it consisted of unripe corn, beans (although it is unknown what kind) and bear fat, which apparently is quite delicious.
Over time, the legume of choice became Lima beans and the common recipe incorporated other flavorings, such as tomato, onion, garlic and thyme. Because of the relatively inexpensive ingredients, the dish became popular in the Great Depression, particularly in the South.
Looney Tunes' Sylvester the Cat
"Suffering Succotash" did more to make this dish famous than perhaps anything else. The whimsical expression that evokes emotions of exasperation or astonishment in a humorous, lighthearted way, with Sylvester's distinct frontal lisp, actually did not originate in the Warner Brothers' cartoon that ran from 1930 to 1969. It's roots are in 19th Century Victorian England.
There was at that time, a global shift in English speaking countries to eliminated the use of profanity as it was considered sacrilegious and nu-Christian. Consequently, expressions like, "Dag-Nabbit," "Judith Priest," "Shucks", and "Darn It" came into the public lexicon.
"Suffering Succotash" was one of those euphemistic replacements for the more blasphemous expression of its day, "Suffering Savior." It was inserted into the script by a Warner Brothers writer, and vocalized by the chief voice actor, Mel Brooks, who loved using the expression in Sylvester's characteristic, sloppy, frontal lisp.
Succotash fell from favor after WWII, only recently making a mild comeback. Many recipes call for taking fresh corn off the cob for this dish, but frozen vegetables these days are processed and flash frozen with such speed and efficiency after the vegetable come out of the ground, it’s hard to overlook the convenience factor. Frozen Lima beans and frozen white corn make this dish a snap to make, and the combination is utterly delicious.
Succotash
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp butter, divided
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 tsp cloves, minced
- 2 cups frozen Lima beans, thawed in microwave
- 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt,
- 8-10 grinds freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 4 cups frozen white corn kernels, thawed in microwave
- medium red bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 tbs apple cider vinegar
- 1 green onion, chopped
Instructions
- Melt half the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil once the butter has melted.
- Add the onion and garlic; cook stirring often until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the Lima beans, chicken stock, salt, pepper, and thyme. Bring to a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the corn, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, and vinegar. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is mostly evaporated, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat; stir in the remaining butter and the green onion just before serving.
