Southernism

Poke Sallet Pokelore, Legends, and Granny's Recipe By Dr. Dwalia South

Cooking poke sallet is just one of the many ways that po' folks in the South have managed to feed their families for a couple of centuries. Mother didn't cook it because we didn't have other things to eat, but because it was a tasty tradition that had been passed down to her from her hardscrabble ancestors and was touted as a veritable spring tonic – along with some sassafras tea, she said it would “purify the blood.”

Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) is a large handsome wild plant, native to America that may grow up to 10 feet tall in disturbed soil. The leaves and stems are large, and often red- tinged. Older stalks are a vivid purple red. Later in the summer, drooping white flowers give way to shining, dark wine-red berries at maturity.

Although poke is most closely associated with the American South, it grows as far north as Minnesota and can also be found in the Southwest. References to the pokeweed are to be found in the writings of Eudora Welty and Walt Whitman.

The word “poke” is believed to have its origin from the Native American Algonquin word “pocan,” which translated loosely meant 'blood' or 'dye,' which was their most important use of the plant's magenta berries which conveyed an inky red stain to skin, leather, or fabric fibers. They even used the poke berries to make a botanical paint to decorate their horses.

Dolly Parton once said that she used crushed poke berries as a make-do lipstick when her parents forbade her to wear make-up.

Poke's history reminds us that it can be a healthful plant or a health hazard. In our Appalachian past, a concocted salve of poke root, sulfur and lard were applied to skin inflicted with scabies (AKA-the '7 year itch'). Over time, pokeweed was used in various methodologies to treat common ailments such as thrush and whooping cough. Poke poultices have been used to treat rheumatism, bruises, sprained ankles and were even said to remove “bewitchment."

Poke sallet as a food source has been touted to “thicken the blood.” You may rightfully ask why one would want to thicken their blood. In the old days, “thin blood” was a regional term for anemia, a common ailment that plagued the impoverished Poke Sallet Pokelore, Legends, and Granny's Recipe Southernism South. Pokeweed draws extremely high amounts of iron from the clay soil it loves to grow in; so folks got that one right for sure. Eating a lot of properly prepared poke sallet in the spring would certainly have been helpful in treating iron deficiency anemia.

In other interesting poke history, political supporters of our 11th president, James K. Polk of Tennessee, wore twigs of pokeweed on their lapels during his 1845 campaign. Also, during the Civil War, soldiers used pokeberry ink to write letters home from the battlefields.

Not surprisingly, a plant that was widely recognized as a potential poison had associations with black magic and witchcraft. One source cited that the way to kill a wicked witch was to shoot her with a blast from a shotgun loaded with poke berries!

As far as poke health hazards are concerned, well, the risks are quite real for the uninitiated. The plant itself is potentially toxic when mature, the berries and roots are downright poisonous to humans and most livestock. (That is why you find the large untouched bushes of it in your pasture.) For some reasons, it doesn't harm birds who love the berries and gleefully consume them and thus spread the poke seed around.

Potential side effects of consuming pokeweed berries, stalks, or roots include stomach cramps, vomiting, weakness, or seizures. Make no mistake, this stuff could kill you if you ate enough of it.

But, enough of that discussion. Done correctly, cooked poke sallet is downright delicious. Remember, too, that the dish is correctly spelled 'sallet,' which is the Old English form of the word 'salad.'

It was amazing to learn that poke sallet greens were once commercially canned and sold beginning in the mid-1900's. Arkansas' Allen Canning Company produced store-bought “Poke Salet,” (yet another alternative spelling), with their label proudly proclaiming that the product was “organically grown.” With sales down and difficulty procuring enough poke to make a profit, the Allen Company stopped canning the greens in 2000.