Barberton Chicken
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Barberton chicken is a style of fried chicken native to the city of Barberton in Summit County, Ohio. It is a distinctive style served in several restaurants in Barberton and nearby Norton and increasingly in other surrounding communities. The style of chicken has given the town national notoriety, with some proclaiming Barberton to be the "Chicken Capital of the World"[1] or the "Fried Chicken Capital of America."[2]
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[edit] History
Barberton chicken began with Milchael and Smilka Topalsky, immigrants from Serbia. Like many during the Great Depression, they became burdened with debt and were forced to sell their family farm. They opened a restaurant called Belgrade Gardens in 1933[1] in which they sold a distinctive style of fried chicken, along with a vinegar-based cole slaw, a rice and tomato sauce side dish seasoned with hot peppers, and freshly cut french fries. Barberton lore holds that these were exact replicas of what the Topalskys had known back in Serbia as pahovana piletina, kupus salata, djuvece and pomfrit, though it may be doubtful that such exact replicas of Old World dishes could really be produced with New World ingredients.[2]
Soon other restaurants emerged which copied the distinctive style. The Milich family, many of whom had worked for Belgrade Gardens, opened up Hopocan Gardens in 1946. Mary Marinkovich opened up White House Chicken Dinners in 1950. The Milich family opened up a second restaurant, Milich's Village Inn, in 1955. Other restaurants have come and gone in the area, but only the original four are still in operation.[2]
Today, the four chicken houses serve over seven and a half tons of chicken per week. The chicken has become so popular that it is often shipped around the United States, usually to transplanted Ohioans.[1] White House Chicken has recently expanded into several locations in northeastern Ohio, dropping the tradtional sit-down style in favor of a fast food model.[2]
[edit] Tenets
The basic tenets of Barberton chicken are simple, yet strictly adhered to by the competing restaurants. They are as follows:
- "True" Barberton chicken is fresh, never frozen.
- Neither the chicken nor the breading is seasoned with anything except a small amount of salt[2] and black pepper[1].
- The birds are fried in lard. This gives the chicken a uniformly brown crust that is crisp, yet slightly chewy, while the meat is very juicy. This has also given Barberton chicken a reputation for being particularly unhealthy.
- The cut of the bird is different than usual. Birds are cut into many pieces, including breasts, thighs, legs, wings, drummets and backs. This is probably rooted in the Great Depression, when creating the most pieces per chicken without yielding any waste was necessary.[1] The backs actually yield little meat, and are sometimes marketed as "chicken ribs" for their passing resemblence to beef or pork ribs.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e White House Chicken Story
- ^ a b c d e f Edge, John T. (Mar 2003). ""The Barberton Birds"". Attaché.
