Gay peas ('paes' pronounced as 'pays') remain a popular dish in this black country.

There is a tradition of eating pigs here.

There used to be one in every backyard.

It is fed kitchen scraps and is slaughtered when it is old enough.

Because "the times are tough," they use every inch of the pig's meat, and even the skin is made into Gua Sha.

The kidneys and part of the liver are eaten "as is," while the remaining innards are minced and rolled into balls the size of tennis balls.

To prevent them from falling apart during cooking, the balls are knocked into the membrane surrounding the abdominal organs.

These are to be cooked in onion gravy in the oven.

They are served with peas, but traditionally not the green peas pictured here.

They will use dried peas and store them after harvest for use throughout the year.

To use them, they must be soaked overnight.

These are called "gray areas."

During the drying process they lose their green color so when cooked they take on a grey/brown appearance...but taste great.

(Note: All canned peas look like this, but to make them easier to sell, they are dyed an artificial green before being cooked in the can).

These two elements are often served with a thin liquor made of mint, raw onions, sugar and vinegar.

Nowadays, eating a piece of mashed potatoes seems to have become a "ritual".

To get the best taste, you need to go to the backcountry, not to fancy restaurants! Just in case you think I'm kidding about using pig rinds for "pork rinds"... Elsewhere in the country,

You can get some pretty bad bistro snacks.

The trick is that they have to be cooked in very hot lard.

This causes the moisture in the skin and the fat layer beneath it to quickly evaporate into small bubbles.

This creates scratches like the "honeycomb" in a Cadbury Crispy Chocolate Bar, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ???

Ever had that terrible snack that was as sticky as "flakes of armor plate" and had an unpleasant greasy taste, don't hesitate.

Try to catch the real thing (as stated above).

Before you ask... no, I don't work for them, I just like their, and other good manufacturers, products.

If you'd like to try a D-I-Y recipe, here's one from the local paper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. were gays and peas was the "original" stuff, .. and BLACK COUNTRY HEALTH was

EATING WAY The last real black country gay maker? WATCH: The gay champ prepares to reveal his offal secrets... for the price of a final touch on suet-crusted takeout fare like steak and kidney pie.

There is an old traditional dish called "clanger".

This was "food on the go" for the workers.

It seems to occur in many places mainly in the central region.

The most famous is probably "Bacchus Solved."

Think of a long-cooked suet pastry bag, usually wrapped in cloth and tied with string.

The filling is a bit like that of a Cornish pie, but anything can be used, depending on what meat you have on hand (leftovers from Sunday!). What fascinates me is that it’s not only

is a savory filling and at the other end there is a sweet filling made with stewed fruit and jam.