Local Chef Authors Book To Preserve Ozark Culinary History

Chef Erin Rowe doesn't frequently cook squirrel, but she does have a championship, award-winning recipe for squirrel meatloaf in her new book.

The Bella Vista, Ark., chef also features 50 heirloom recipes, some from as far back as the early 1880s. Her new book isn't necessarily a cookbook, though it can be utilized as one, she said.

Chef and Cookbook Author Erin Rowe will lead a salsa making class at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 22 in Bella Vista. Tickets are $20 each and can be purchased by registering in person at Riordan Hall or over the phone by calling 479-855-8000 by Feb. 20. Her book, “An Ozark Culinary History,” will be available for purchase.

The chef, who grew up in Siloam Springs, Ark., was propelled to write a book about Ozark culinary history as a way of preservation.

"If we don't write down history, it disappears," she said. "The book is a tribute to our heritage."

Rowe's book, "An Ozark Culinary History: Northwest Arkansas Traditions from Corn Dodgers to Squirrel Meatloaf," was published by The History Press and released in September.

The chef spoke to the McDonald County Back-To-Basics Group last week, speaking at length about the research she conducted for the book.

The people who settled in the Ozarks were "tough people," who came to this "uncharted territory and tried to make a life," Rowe said.

The settlers utilized all the fish, game, bear and venison that were plentiful in the area, as well as gathering wild nuts, mushrooms and berries and anything they could do to live off the land.

To gain research for her book, Rowe undertook a number of tasks: helping a woman in Cane Hill, Ark., can 40 jars of hominy; interviewing people whose ancestors worked and lived on the land; and collecting recipes.

She poured through literally thousands of old photos of farmers and early settlers, who utilized all their resources to carve out a successful life here.

Sometimes, even 50 years behind the east and west coasts' technology, the settlers here learned to improvise, stretch, create and make food to feed their families.

Writing the book took a year and a half, and Rowe got her hands dirty collecting as much information as she could.

She has outlined history and the creative things that people did to be sustainable.

"I got to get in and get my hands dirty, to do it right. I did enough research to write three more books," she said.

During her research for the book, Rowe discovered what she already knew: early Ozark settlers were a resourceful people. For instance, settlers made persimmons into a leather roll-up, similar to a fruit roll-up. Rowe offers a persimmon cookie recipe, and mentioned that settlers also used the sap from green persimmon tree for earaches.

Settlers learned to utilize wild berries, when available, in pies. When things were rough, they made vinegar pie.

Settlers fully utilized any resource available, even if it was seasonal. Gooseberry, huckleberry, elderberry, wild greens and sassafras were all tools of the trade. Living off the land meant using nuts when they could; preserving meat; and, in later years, canning and storing goods for future use.

Locally, Rowe attended a festival to learn more about how people used to live off the land. She went to the Cane Hill festival, learning about making sorghum and its importance in history, as well as other tasks the settlers took on.

Along the way, she gathered interesting recipes. The book features a pot liquor recipe, as well as a moonshine recipe.

Rowe utilized resources from the Rogers Historical Museum in Rogers, Ark., and drew from her contacts she had when she worked for the Peel Mansion & Museum in Bentonville, Ark.

The chef received her education at Hendrix College and through the University of Hawaii Maui College Culinary Arts Program.

The author holds classes in food-related topics. She leads private in-home cooking classes and group classes at Honeycomb Kitchen Shop in Rogers.

She enjoys teaching children and adults about cooking, and also works as a private chef. Selecting certain catering jobs helps her determine her schedule and the scope of her work.

In recent weeks, Rowe has lead teenagers in making salsa. Last week, she lead a class about wine-tasting and trying different chocolate desserts and this week, she'll host a salsa making class in Bella Vista.

Teaching others about cooking -- and its history -- is important. Rowe believes that the book enables her to honor our settlers' heritage.

"We have to be true to our roots," she said. "People really knew how to make it."

General News on 02/15/2018