HUSH PUPPY, SWEET CHARCOAL:

Cue Country: Join us as we follow the roads and styles of America's quintessential, finger-licking classic: real barbecue. (Bill Daley and Donna Pierce, Chicago Tribune)

Barbecue is quintessentially American, shaped by the mixing of peoples and cultures, strongly flavored by generations of African-Americans enslaved and free, and constantly on the move, adapting from place to place. Barbecue is more than just delicious; it is to be savored, revered, debated.

And barbecue may need to be saved.

Like so many traditional foods, barbecue is under siege, overrun by modern technology, targeted by commercialism, dismissed by changing tastes and lifestyles. Yet there's hope too.

Across this big country there are folks who quietly cling to the old ways, or at least the old ideals. [...]

Wilber's hush puppies [...]

Ingredients

1 small onion, chopped
1 egg, beaten
1 cup self-rising cornmeal, see note
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup self-rising flour
2 Tbsps. vegetable oil
1 tsp. Cajun or Creole seasoning mix, see note
Peanut oil for frying

1. Mix the onion, egg, cornmeal, buttermilk, flour, oil and seasoning mix together in a large bowl to make a thick batter.

2. Heat 3 inches of the oil to 360 degrees in a large saucepan. Drop the batter into the hot oil by tablespoons.; cook, in batches if necessary, until golden, about 3-4 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Note: Cajun or Creole seasoning mix blends are available in the supermarket spice section. Self-rising cornmeal is available in many supermarkets. To make your own, mix together 6 3/4 cup plus 3 Tbsps. regular cornmeal with 1 Tbsp. of baking powder and 6 1/2 tsp. salt.