Here is my latest column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail:
Certain smells cling to memory long after they’ve left the kitchen: bacon grease popping, cornbread baking and apples sizzling in a cast-iron skillet.
Apples have been part of the Appalachian food landscape for centuries. European settlers brought apple seeds and grafted varieties to the region in the 18th century, where they adapted well to the mountainous terrain.
Unlike other fruits, apples were accessible, easy to store and highly versatile. Every part of the fruit served a purpose. Peels could be fermented into vinegar, bruised apples became sauce or jelly, and seeds were used to cultivate new trees.
Preservation was key to survival in rural areas. Families dried apple slices on string, canned them in syrup, or pressed them into hard cider and apple butter.
Frying was another method — using rendered fat, butter, or lard to quickly cook the fruit with sugar and spices.
This dish, now commonly known as fried apples, became a popular and efficient way to use aging or surplus fruit.
They were frequently served at breakfast, as a dessert, or alongside pork, which was a staple protein in mountain communities. Apples and hogs were both central to subsistence farming in the region, and their pairing was practical as well as flavorful.
Fried apples are traditionally made using firm, tart varieties such as Granny Smith, Winesap, or Jonathan, which hold their texture and balance the sweetness during cooking.
Cast-iron skillets became the cookware of choice due to their durability and ability to retain even heat over open flames or wood-burning stoves. This made them ideal for frying apples in large batches for families or community gatherings.
While modern variations may include ingredients like maple syrup, nutmeg, or lemon, the basic recipe has remained relatively unchanged for more than a century.
Today, fried apples are still sold in glass jars at country stores, served in diners across the South, and prepared in Appalachian homes.
They stand as a reminder of historical food preservation, agricultural self-sufficiency, and the practical ingenuity that defines Appalachian foodways. The continued presence of fried apples in kitchens and restaurants reflects the enduring value of seasonal eating and home preservation.
Even as food systems modernize, dishes like fried apples preserve the memory of a time when every harvest had to stretch through the winter and nothing went to waste.
