Kudzu: Not Our Only "Invasive Species"

In the 1930s, the indigenous Japanese vine Kudzu was introduced into the US (including Georgia) as a way for farmers to control erosion. The vine is so fast-growing that it takes over, covers, and annihilates whole swatches of forest. I have vivid memories as a kid of seeing kudzu growing extensively throughout southwest Georgia, on trips to visit my maternal grandparents in Americus.

I think about kudzu often when discussions of cultural appropriation come up, which they often do when food is discussed, particularly southern soul food. The borrowing and riffing and contemporary twists, the cross-pollinations, the fusions — all of these vectors of culinary influence make for interesting experiences and extremely complicated sociology. Not the stuff for a basic cook here in Tel Aviv. Way above my pay grade and job description. Although it is something I do think about, cooking soul food almost halfway around the world, in the Mediterranean.

The issue popped up again recently when a guest made a special request for calamari stuffed with shrimp. Clearly not a native southern dish. Or at least in part. Would I do it? Sure. Italian cuisine long ago found its niche in my hometown. One of my absolute favorite restaurants in Savannah was Anna’s Little Napoli, which among other things, was my introduction to eggplant parmigiana, which I devoured. But I digress.

Anna’s Little Napoli stayed fairly true to its original Italian roots, but that didn’t stop many of our outstanding seafood restaurants in the area to marry “foreign” calamari to more native foodstuffs like shrimp, mussels, and oysters. Which is why my guest’s request seemed tg fit well within our soul food repertoire.

Our dish is far from the typical classic Italian preparation, even though we use an absolute favorite tomato sauce from Marcella Hazan, about as Italian as it gets. Even so, the blending of elements somehow “reads” southern to me. Perhaps it’s the cajun seasoning or the generous heaping of pepper into the making of the bread crumbs. I don’t know. Hard, rigid classifications have never interested me all that much. I’d rather eat it rather than dissect it