Specific Soups and Stews: Brunswick Stew

Brunswick stew emerged in the mid-nineteenth century and is claimed to have originated in both Georgia and Virginia. It was commonly made with leftovers or whatever was available, such as squirrel meat, chicken, or other meats along with bacon, green corn, tomatoes, lima beans, potatoes, and other vegetables. The first known recipe for Brunswick stew appeared in Marion Harland’s Common Sense in the Household (1871). She reported that it derived from Brunswick County, Virginia. Marion Cabell Tyree’s Housekeeping in Old Virginia (1879) includes four recipes for Brunswick stew, three of which contain chicken or squirrel and one of which is beef based. The cookbook Housekeeping in the Blue Grass (1875) includes the recipe Virginia Brunswick Stew, and the author reports that, when the stew is properly made, none of the ingredients dominate. Brunswick stew remains a regional southern stew, and many different recipes claim to be “authentic.”