{{short description|American stew}} {{use mdy dates|date=July 2025}} {{for|Burgoo as a type of food served in the British Royal Navy|Porridge}} {{Infobox food | name = Burgoo | image = Kentucky burgoo.jpg | image_size = 250px | caption = Kentucky burgoo served with various side dishes | alternate_name = | country = North America, Great Britain | region = Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, West Virginia, Tennessee | creator = | course = | type = Stew | served = | main_ingredient = Meat (pork, chicken, or mutton) | variations = | calories = | other = }}
'''Burgoo''' is a stew, similar to Irish or Mulligan stew, often served with cornbread or corn muffins, one form of which originated in Kentucky. It is often prepared communally as a social gathering. It is popular as the basis for civic fundraisers in the Upland South.
==Etymology== The term is of uncertain origin, possibly from the combination of the Welsh words for "yeast" and "cabbage".{{cn|date=July 2025}} The Oxford English Dictionary lists the origin as "Arabic: {{translit|ar|būrgu̇l}} cooked, parched, and crushed wheat, ultimately [from] Turkish {{lang|tr|bulgur}}".<ref name="OED">{{cite OED|burgoo|24962}}</ref>
==History== The first ''OED'' reference in English is from 1743 in J. Isham ''Observ. Hudsons Bay'', defined as "a soup or stew made with a variety of meat and vegetables, used especially at outdoor feasts. ''North American.''" A 1753 reference from ''Chambers's Cycl. Suppl.'' reads "Burgoo, a sea-faring dish", likely with associations to the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (United Kingdom). An 1863 reference to G. A. Sala, ''Strange Adventures Capt. Dangerous'' (II.i.15)' specifies meat as an ingredient: "[He] had the best Beef and Burgoo at the Skipper's table."<ref name="OED"/>
==Preparation== Traditional burgoo was made using whatever meats and vegetables were available—sometimes including venison, squirrel, opossum, raccoon, or even game birds—and was often associated with autumn and the harvest season. Today, local barbecue restaurants use a specific meat in their recipes, usually pork, chicken, or mutton,<!-- hardly anyone eats mutton in the US, where this is most often made --> <!-- except in Kentucky, where the dish originated and mutton is a staple -->which, along with the spices used, creates a flavor unique to each restaurant.
A typical burgoo is a combination of meat and vegetables. Common meats are pork, chicken, beef, and/or mutton, often hickory-smoked, but other meats are seen occasionally. Common vegetables are lima beans, corn, okra, tomatoes, cabbage, and potatoes. Typically, since burgoo is a slow-cooked dish, the starch from the added vegetables results in the stew thickening. A thickening agent, such as cornmeal, ground beans, whole wheat, or potato starch, can be used when cooked in a nontraditional way. In addition, soup bone stocks can be added for taste and thickening.
The ingredients are combined in order of cooking time required, with meat first, vegetables next, and thickening agents as necessary. A spoon can reportedly stand up in a good burgoo. Cider vinegar, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, or chili powder are common condiments.
==Regional popularity== Cooking burgoo in Kentucky often serves as a communal effort at social event in which each attendee brings one or more ingredients. In Kentucky and surrounding states, such as Indiana and Tennessee, burgoo is often used for school fundraising. This has been claimed as an invention of the family of Ollie Beard, a former Major League Baseball player.<ref name="nemec">{{Cite book|title=The Beer And Whiskey League: The Illustrated History of the American Association--Baseball's Renegade Major League|last=Nemec|first=Davis|publisher=Lyons and Burford|year=1994|isbn=1-59228-188-5|pages=178}}<!--|accessdate=2008-12-14--></ref>
Many places hold great pride in their burgoos. It is a common feature in local events. The village of Arenzville, Illinois, asserts itself as the home of the world's best burgoo and holds a yearly burgoo festival,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.burgoo.org/|title=Arenzville, IL - Home of the World's Best Burgoo|work=burgoo.org|accessdate=8 July 2015|archive-date=August 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831193730/http://www.burgoo.org/|url-status=live}}</ref> as do Chandlerville, Illinois<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/cvilleburgoo/timeline?ref=page_internal|title=Chandlerville Burgoo, Illinois|work=Facebook|accessdate=8 July 2015|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308014223/https://www.facebook.com/cvilleburgoo/timeline?ref=page_internal|url-status=live}}</ref> and Utica, Illinois. Several cities claim to be the burgoo capital of the world, including Lawrenceburg, Kentucky,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sbcanning.com/2012/10/kentucky-burgoo-canning-crazy-soup.html|title=Kentucky Burgoo - Canning a Crazy Soup!|author=Canning Homemade|work=sbcanning.com|accessdate=8 July 2015|archive-date=August 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831195705/https://www.sbcanning.com/2012/10/kentucky-burgoo-canning-crazy-soup.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Owensboro, Kentucky,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.onesixtyk.com/kentucky-burgoo/3995/|title=Burgoo: A Kentucky Specialty|work=One Sixty K|accessdate=8 July 2015|archive-date=26 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226142512/http://www.onesixtyk.com/kentucky-burgoo/3995/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and Franklin, Illinois.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.franklinillinois.net/Franklin%20History%20Book/14-Burgoo.htm|title=Franklin, Illinois - Franklin History Book - Burgoo|work=franklinillinois.net|accessdate=8 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303224421/http://www.franklinillinois.net/Franklin%20History%20Book/14-Burgoo.htm|archive-date=3 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> In Brighton, Illinois, a local traditional burgoo is prepared and served annually at the village's summer festival, the Betsey Ann Picnic.<ref>{{cite web | title=Betsey Ann Picnic | website=Village of Brighton Illinois | date=2019-10-07 | url=https://www.brightonil.com/vnews/display.v/ART/5cee93bd5fc5a | access-date=2020-06-16 | archive-date=March 8, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308232805/https://www.brightonil.com/vnews/display.v/ART/5cee93bd5fc5a | url-status=live }}</ref> At the Kentucky Derby, Burgoo is often served and is considered an iconic dish.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tastingtable.com/dine/national/burgoo-history-kentucky-derby|title=Burgoo and the Kentucky Derby History|date=3 May 2018|access-date=December 5, 2020|archive-date=August 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831193731/https://www.tastingtable.com/dine/national/burgoo-history-kentucky-derby|url-status=live}}</ref>
==See also== * Booyah, a social stew popular in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin * Brunswick stew * Fish fry, often an event and social group fundraiser * List of regional dishes of the United States * List of stews * List of meat dishes * Southern Illinois chowder, another kind of social stew
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Wiktionary}} * [http://www.kentuckyburgoo.com/ Anderson County, KY Burgoo Festival page] * [https://www.angelfire.com/ky/burgoo/ Owensboro, KY's Burgoo page] * [http://www.burgoo.org/ Arenzville, IL's Burgoo page] * [https://bhoddabag.blogspot.com/ Bhodda's Burgoo Ba'aag] * [http://www.wine-lovers-page.com/food/burgoo.shtml A recipe for burgoo] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20131029192311/http://www.franklinillinois.net/burgoo.htm What is burgoo? ]
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Category:American stews Category:Cuisine of Kentucky Category:History of American cuisine Category:Wild game dishes