Recipe (Serbian) Barberton Ohio Fried Chicken

NC Susan

Deceased
http://www.hungrybrowser.com/phaedrus/m062602.htm

----- Original Message -----
From: SS
To: phaedrus
Sent: Wednesday, June 12, 2002
Subject: Barberton Chicken recipes

Hoping to find a recipe or two...for chicken recipes and the cole slaw
and hot sauce that the restaurants in Barberton,Ohio are known for....
Barberton,Ohio is known as the chicken capitol.....because of the fried
chicken dinners with sides of a hot rice that is similar to spanish rice
and a sweet and sour cole slaw....if anyone can help with a recipe or few
...would love it.....since we live 500 miles away from Ohio
now.....thanks....S.S...Tennessee
Hello SS,

Here you are. Straight from Barberton.

Phaed

Barberton Chicken Recipe

2 frying chickens cut up
Flour
Salt, pepper
2 eggs, beaten
Unseasoned, dry bread crumbs
Lard (about 4 lbs.)

Directions

Cut Chicken breasts in half lengthwise:separate thighs from legs.
The chicken pieces should be all about the same size, for even cooking.

Combine flour, salt and pepper. Roll chicken pieces in flour and shake
off excess. Dip in beaten eggs. Roll in bread crumbs, pressing crumbs
into chicken; gently shake off excess.

Melt lard in a chicken fryer or heavy, deep kettle. Heat to 250 degrees.
Fry chicken pieces a few at a time for 20 minutes. Keep fried chicken
warm while frying remaining batches.
----------------------------------------------------------
Barberton Hot Sauce Recipe

2 onions, chopped
1 fresh hot pepper, sliced
2 tbsp. butter
paprika (to taste...?)
2 one-pound cans stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup uncooked, long-grain rice
salt & pepper

Directions

Brown onions and pepper in butter. Add paprika to taste. Process
tomatoes briefly in a blender. Add tomatoes, rice, salt and pepper
to onion mixture. Cover and cook until rice is tender, about 45
minutes, adding additional water if necessary. Remove pepper slices
before serving.
--------------------------------------------------------
Barberton Cole Slaw Recipe

1 small head cabbage, about 1 1/4 lbs.
3/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup oil
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp. sugar
salt to taste

Directions

Shred cabbage. You should have about eight cups. Combine vinegar, oil
and sugar and whisk until sugar has dissolved. Pour dressing over cabbage
and season with salt. Toss well. Cover and refrigerate for at least two
hours, stirring occasionally.
-----------------------------------
This is the Barberton Fried Chicken recipe that appeared in the
Akron Beacon Journal.

Ingredients:
2 frying chickens cut up
Flour
Salt, pepper
2 eggs, beaten
Unseasoned, dry bread crumbs
Lard (about 4 lbs.)

Directions

Cut Chicken breasts in half lengthwise: separate thighs from legs.
The chicken pieces should be all about the same size, for even cooking.

Combine flour, salt and pepper. Roll chicken pieces in flour and shake
off excess. Dip in beaten eggs. Roll in bread crumbs, pressing crumbs
into chicken; gently shake off excess.

Melt lard in a chicken fryer or heavy, deep kettle. Heat to 250 degrees.
Fry chicken pieces a few at a time for 20 minutes. Keep fried chicken
warm while frying remaining batches.
--------------------------
Hot Sauce

Ingredients
2 onions, chopped
1 fresh hot pepper, sliced
2 tbsp. butter
paprika (to taste...?)
2 one-pound cans stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup uncooked, long-grain rice-salt & pepper

Directions
Brown onions and pepper in butter.
Add paprika to taste.
Process tomatoes briefly in a blender.
Add tomatoes, rice, salt and pepper to onion mixture.
Cover and cook until rice is tender, about 45 minutes, adding
additional water if necessary.
Remove pepper slices before serving.
------------------------
Chicken House Coleslaw

Ingredients
1 small head cabbage, about 1 1/4 lbs.
3/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup oil
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp. sugar
salt to taste


Directions
Shred cabbage. You should have about eight cups.
Combine vinegar, oil and sugar and whisk until sugar has dissolved.
Pour dressing over cabbage and season with salt. Toss well.
Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours, stirring occasionally.
-----------------------------------------------------
Cole Slaw

2 c. finely shredded cabbage 1/3 c. sliced green pepper (opt.)
1/4 c. chopped parsley (opt.)
3 T. vinegar
2 T. salad oil
1 t. salt
2 T. sugar

In bowl combine cabbage, green pepper and parsley. Stir together vinegar,
sugar, salad oil and salt until sugar is dissolved. Pour over slaw and
toss to coat.. Cover and chill.
---------------------------------
"Chicken House Hot Rice"

2 onions, chopped
1 hot fresh pepper, sliced
2 T. butter (oleo)
Paprika to taste
2-1# cans whole tomatoes
1/2 c. long grained uncooked rice

Brown onions and sliced pepper in oleo. Add paprika to taste. Process
briefly in a blender. (ah heck put them in a big bowl and squeeze them.)

Add tomato, rice, salt & pepper to skillet. Cover and cook 45 minutes..
Adding water if necessary. Remove pepper slices before serving..
John T. Edge, in his book Fried Chicken - an american story reveals that he journeyed to Baberton for the book, finding that Baberton fried chicken has Serbian-American roots. He gives this recipe for the Baberton bird:

Serbian-American Fried Chicken

1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces if less than 3 pounds, 10 pieces if more than 3 pounds
1 cup all-purpose flour
5 teaspoons salt
5 teaspoons pepper
1 cup unseasoned, untoasted bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
Lard or shortening into which you mix about 3 tablespoons bacon grease

Combine flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper in a large bowl. Combine bread crumbs and 2 teaspoons salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper
in another large bowl. Roll chicken pieces in flour mixture and shake off excess. Dip pieces, one by one, in beaten eggs. Roll in bread crumbs,
taking care to press bread crumbs into chicken. Gently shake off excess.

Melt lard or shortening to a depth of at least 3 inches in aheavy, deep kettle. Heat to 300°. Fry chicken pieces for 15 minutes, or until an
internal thermometer registers 170° for dark meat, 160° for white meat. Drain on a wire rack, and sprinkle lightly with remaining salt & pepper.
Serves 4.
 

NC Susan

Deceased
barberton, ohio--fried chicken capital of the world

mrnyc | Apr 20, 2002 02:46 PM Fried Chicken Chicken
i thought some of you would be interested in this article:

www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/306680...

www.chowhound.com/post/barberton-ohio-fried-chicken-capital-world-120598

i thought some of you would be interested in this article:

www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/306680...

Akron Beacon Journal

Posted on Mon, Apr. 15, 2002

BARBERTON CHICKEN BELITTLED?

Restaurant operators, fans of famous fried food clucking angrily about city plan to reshape image

By Craig Webb, Beacon Journal staff writer

BARBERTON - Proprietors of many of Barberton's famous chicken houses are crying foul over an attempt to reshape the city's image.

Community and civic leaders have been meeting since the beginning of the year to discuss ways to change the perception of Barberton from a blue-collar town to one that is on the move.

Part of the discussion has been what to do about Barberton's namesake chicken that dates back about a century.

The recipes are closely guarded secrets among the handful of families who have operated the chicken houses in Barberton and Norton. The chicken, deep-fried in lard, is known for its distinctive breading. It is usually served with rice in a tomato-based hot sauce and cole slaw.

The whole chicken issue hit the frying pan earlier this month when Mayor Randy Hart mentioned that he'd like out-of-towners to think of more than just chicken when they think of Barberton. This ruffled the feathers of those residents who rely on their very livelihood from packed dining rooms at the area's four chicken restaurants.

Brian Canale, whose family operates Hopocan Gardens and Whitehouse Chicken, said abandoning chicken as a community identity is ridiculous.

``We take chicken very seriously here in Barberton, and so do the residents,'' he said. ``We took it as an insult.''

His wife, Carol, said one patron walked into the restaurant with a napkin pinned to her shirt that said, ``My image of Barberton is chicken.''

The chicken craze, she said, extends well beyond the confines of the restaurants.

Tired of the taunts from fans of opposing basketball teams who would show up at Barberton High School games with KFC buckets on their heads, Carol Canale had purple chicken head T-shirts printed up to celebrate the Barberton Magic's colors and, well, chickens.

``My image of Barberton is chicken,'' she said.

And that's not such a bad thing, according to Dale M. Lewison, chairman of the Marketing Department at the University of Akron.

``If it's good chicken, then it's a positive thing,'' he said.

Lewison said Barberton's quest for another marketing catchphrase is not entirely a bad thing, but city fathers still need to incorporate this existing strong image, which in this case is chicken.

``You can't just go about and say this is an image you don't want,'' he said. ``This is the image you've got.

``You want to reshape that image or enhance it.''

Besides, Lewison said, there are many communities that would kill to have something distinctive like Barberton's chicken or Orrville's Smucker's or Akron's rubber industry.

``Ellet -- what's that known for?'' he said. ``Barberton has the advantage of awareness.''

Ever since awakening the big angry chicken, Hart said, he's been henpecked by critics.

One thing, he said, must be made perfectly clear. He loves Barberton chicken. He eats Barberton chicken. And Barberton chicken is part of his life.

``Hey, I eat it,'' he said. ``My doctor says I shouldn't because of my health, but I eat it anyway because I like it.''

Hart said the discussion to look at the city's image was brought about by concerns among several groups -- including representatives from Barberton Citizens Hospital, the Barberton Foundation and the city officials who collectively felt that there are a lot of good things happening in the community of which many residents were not aware.

Since the whole chicken flap has erupted, Hart said, the groups plan to step back and seek additional input from the community.

``Barberton is certainly famous for its chicken and that's good,'' he said.

Kosta Papich, whose family operates the city's original chicken house, Belgrade Gardens, said he's puzzled by the whole thing.

``Anything that's decent, we should be proud of,'' he said. ``If it's bad, we should say it's bad. I'm not ashamed nor anyone else should be to be associated with chicken.''

Papich said people come from near and far to sample Barberton chicken.

He recalls two years ago when a chicken lover from Pittsburgh hired a cabdriver to pick up a six-piece dinner.

Papich said he asked what a fare like that would cost: $300.

``Can you imagine this for six pieces of chicken?'' Papich said. ``I joked that this man either had too much money or this was to be his last supper.''

Brian Canale said anecdotes like that are common.

That is why his family is branching out in hopes of cashing in on the love of Barberton chicken. In addition to their two Barberton chicken restaurants, they have also opened a Hoppy's/White House Chicken in Cuyahoga Falls.

In fact, he is now franchising the restaurant, and the first franchise has opened in Tallmadge. He said the family plans to have nine White House Chicken outlets open by this year in Cleveland, Columbus and Pittsburgh.

The boxes, he said, will boast ``Legendary'' Barberton chicken.

``I don't think there's anything wrong with being the chicken capital of the world,'' he said.

------------------------------

Craig Webb can be reached at 330-723-7119 or cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com
 

Melodi

Disaster Cat
This is a "crumb" recipe which is easier to do a home, a lot of "Fried Chicken Chains" use battered fried chicken which can be done at home but is a bit more or a mess and you pretty much have to deep fry it.

Crumb recipes (bread, crackers, cornmeal etc) using the egg dip method, will work in the oven or air fryer, they don't taste quite the same as deep frying but avoid the large amounts of oil.

Properly deep-fried food shouldn't be greasy, but that's an art as much as a science and one I don't usually practice enough to do very well - but lard or other hot temperature burning oils help.
 

imaginative

keep your eye on the ball
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6wGIdnYROU
12:51

Published on Apr 14, 2017
Barberton, Ohio is the Chicken capital of the world! Four chicken houses serving fried chicken, hot sauce, coleslaw and french fries call the "Magic City" of Barberton their home. We ate at ALL four chicken houses in ONE day and share our endeavor with you in this video.
 

imaginative

keep your eye on the ball
This article is 5 years old; Barberton Chicken is now celebrating 85 years as the world's best and most popular fried chicken. My wife & I have been dining at the chicken houses with friends at least once a month this year. If you have never tried it.....you really are missing out.

We are taking a local couple out tonite and I wanted to brush up on my Barberton Chicken trivia.

'Barberton Chicken' and Belgrade Gardens celebrate 80 years: American institution imported from Old Country

BARBERTON, Ohio -- Maybe it isn’t the place that time forgot. But it sure seems as if the clock has barely and only grudgingly budged in 40 years.

Welcome to Barberton, population 26,550.

Located 40 miles south of Cleveland, the rust-belt town is a slice of real small-town America.
Barberton Chicken keeps on cluckin'
Barberton Chicken has taken on a mythic status – not just here, around the country. "The Chicken Capital of the World" has attracted fowl hounds far and wide, in search of the regional delight served in the town's four chicken houses:

Belgrade Gardens, 401 E. State St., 330-745-0113: For 80 years, the bird has been the word at this restaurant. But the hot sauce – a spicy mix of simmered vegetables and rice – is killer. Ditto for the paprikash. The restaurant will celebrate its 80th anniversary this weekend, with music, ethnic performers and food. It starts at 4 p.m. Friday. Festivities also take place at 3 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.

Hopocan Gardens, 4396 West Hopocan Ave., 330-825-9923: Founded in 1946, by Helen DeVore, who worked at Belgrade Gardens, the restaurant serves the same cut of chicken. The hot sauce is a little less spicy than the Belgrade Gardens variety. The radio was playing ’70s AM radio hits when I was there, and it makes sense, because this place makes you feel you’re taking comfort in the past eating comfort food.

Milich's Village Inn, 4444 Cleveland Massillon Road, 330-825-4553: Open since 1955, this chicken house boasts vintage décor, complete with an assortment of folksy rooster and chicken art. The menu is vintage also, with chicken dinners and daily specials that come with a retro price tag.

White House Chicken, 180 Wooster Road North, 330-745-0449: For six decades, they've been serving chicken and popular sides, including a great vinegar-y cole slaw. The server described the hot sauce as "Spanish rice" and, yes, it is a bit different from the one served at Belgrade Gardens. Still, pretty close.

Where a baseball diamond full of kids playing on a Sunday afternoon sits near an empty lot that once housed a factory where their grandfathers worked.

Where neatly trimmed lawns and ethnic churches are surrounded by reminders of more prosperous times and buildings that you could call mid-century-not-so-modern.

Where people take pride in the past and find comfort in tradition — especially when it’s served golden-brown and tastes like a delicious memory.

Flap your wings and go cluck-cluck for Barberton Chicken.

For decades, the bird has been the word in Barberton. “The Chicken Capital of the World” boasts four restaurants that serve 7½ tons of chicken a week.

The phenomenon started with Belgrade Gardens, which celebrates its 80th anniversary this weekend.

Its popularity spawned three other restaurants over the years, as former employees branched out start Milich’s Village Inn, Hopocan Gardens and White House Chicken (see sidebar).

But Barberton Chicken is not just any chicken.

The feast of a meal is rolled in flour, then eggs, then rolled in breadcrumbs, then fried in lard.

Always lard. That’s what gives the chicken the glow, and creates the crispy coat that leaves the meat inside succulent, but not too greasy.

And each meal is made to order, the old-fashioned way, as it was when Belgrade Gardens opened its doors in 1933.

The restaurant has turned a simple recipe into an American institution.

Belgrade Gardens has been lauded by Parade Magazine and championed by the Food Network show “Food Feuds.”

USA Today once called it one of the Top Ten chicken joints in America.

In their book “500 Things to Eat Before it’s too Late,” renowned food writers Jane and Michael Stern raved about Belgrade Garden’s “ritual feast” that is “not like any other fried chicken.”

Yet, just another meal was all Smilka Topalsky had in mind when she cooked up a batch of it for the family back in 1933.

“My mom was using a fried chicken recipe she learned from her mom, who learned it while living in Serbia,” says Belgrade Gardens co-owner Sophia (Topalsky) Papich. “It was simple, something everyone ate back home.”

At the time, Smilka was operating a diner in Barberton with her husband, Mike Topalsky.

One day, Smilka was in the back cooking dinner for her family. Yes, fried chicken, served with a tart vinegar-y cole slaw, fried potatoes and a spicy vegetable stew known as djuvece.

“A bank president who came in with some friends said, ‘What is this? It smells so good,’” said Papich. “After trying it, he asked, ‘Why don’t you serve this to people?’”

A chicken restaurant was hatched and, 80 years later, Belgrade Gardens is still serving that meal — a prime example of “the melting pot,” er, perhaps, the frying pan — in which Old Country traditions become part of America.

“They called it Belgrade Gardens because they were homesick for Serbia,” says Sophia’s husband Kosta. “But the vast majority of the people who came to eat here were not of Serbian descent, but Americans who found this simple food from back home to be unique and different.”

Kosta Papich came to Barberton from Serbia in 1958, to work as an electrical engineer.

“I worked as a barber as a kid in Serbia,” he says pointing to the shop, depicted in one of many folksy Old Country paintings that adorn the walls of Belgrade Gardens. “I never imagined I’d end up working so many years at the restaurant, too, but you have to work hard — otherwise, can you have a restaurant open for 80 years?”

Foodie mania has led to a gaggle of chefs strutting and crowing on about “farm-to-table” concepts. At Belgrade Gardens, it’s just part of the tradition.

“We’ve always just done things the same way,” says Milos Papich, who has taken over from his parents.

That way includes never freezing the bird or using seasoning and always frying in lard. It involves a different cut, resulting in many pieces — which dates backs to the Depression, when people tried to waste as little as possible.

The taste is remarkably consistent with chicken back in Serbia, says Balkan food aficionado and Cleveland resident Stanislav Zabic.

“The Topalskys came from Backa, a region with a long standing agricultural tradition and a part of the Balkans which is particularly known for a good meal,” says Zabic, who migrated from Belgrade to America in 1999. “The main secret is not a special spice or a special recipe. The main ingredient is chicken that is just the right size, not too old and big and not too small and young, straight from a free range farm, raised on natural food.”

Getting such birds requires buying from Amish farmers, says Kosta Papich.

“We’re very proud of this as a tradition and loyal to what the family started,” he says. “They called it Belgrade Gardens because they wanted to remind themselves of their home and now, 80 years later, people keep coming back because it reminds them of home.”

That’s the secret recipe for Barberton Chicken, says Canal Fulton resident John Corral.

“As a kid, my family used to always come to Milich’s Village Inn,” says Corral. “We’d see the same people coming in on a Sunday. And you still do for that matter.”

Chicken reflected not only the fabric, but also the mindset of the community.

“This area used to be very blue-collar and union, full of factory workers that would identify with Ford or Chevy or Chrysler,” he says. “And they’d identify the same way with one restaurant. They weren’t chicken-hopping — they were loyal.”

“The Magic City” of Barberton got its name because of its rapid ascent during the industrial heyday. These days, the magic might have a good deal of rust on it.

Ah, but the chicken is still golden.

https://www.cleveland.com/dining/index.ssf/2013/07/barberton_chicken_and_belgrade.html
 

imaginative

keep your eye on the ball
Barberton chicken
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Barberton Chicken, also known as Serbian Fried Chicken,[1] is a style of fried chicken native to the city of Barberton in Summit County, Ohio. It is a distinctive Serbian-American style served in several mainly Serbian-owned restaurants in Barberton and nearby Norton and increasingly in other surrounding communities. The style of chicken has given the town national recognition, with some proclaiming Barberton to be the "Chicken Capital of the World"[2] or the "Fried Chicken Capital of America."[3]

History

Barberton chicken began with Milchael and Smilka Topalsky, Serbian immigrants who arrived to America at the turn of the 20th century. 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[2] 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 (usually referred to as "hot sauce", which can also be eaten as a dipping sauce or a side dish), and freshly cut french fries. Barberton lore holds that these were exact replicas of what the Topalskys had known back in Serbia as pohovana piletina, kupus salata, djuvec, and pomfrit.

Soon other restaurants emerged which copied the distinctive style. Helen DeVore, who had worked for Belgrade Gardens, opened up Hopocan Gardens in 1946. White House Chicken Dinners was founded in 1950 by the Pavkov family, who owned the restaurant until the late 1980s when they sold it to the DeVore family. The Serbian-American Milich family opened Milich's Village Inn, in 1955. The Milich family announced in July 2014 that they would close down their restaurant on December 31.[4] A month later, the location reopened under new ownership as Village Inn Chicken, still serving the signature fried poultry.[5]

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.[2] White House Chicken has recently expanded into several locations in northeastern Ohio, dropping the traditional sit-down style in favor of a fast food model.[3]

In August 2010, the Food Network recorded a segment of the show Food Feuds in Barberton. In that segment, Iron Chef Michael Symon declared Belgrade Gardens the winner over White House.
250px-Fried_chicken_dinner%2C_Milich%27s_Village_Inn.jpg

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.[2][3]
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.[citation needed]
The cut of the bird is different from 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.[2] The backs actually yield little meat, and are sometimes marketed as "chicken ribs" for their passing resemblance to beef or pork ribs.[3]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barberton_chicken
 

NC Susan

Deceased
This sounds like a great long weekend trip
Which restaurant do you recommend first Imaginative?

I DO KNOW that lard fries the best chicken but I have only ever used flour not bread crumbs
 

Melodi

Disaster Cat
Looking at the recipes again, I have to say that it is almost certainly the lard that gives this chicken its special flavor (that and the side dishes); Lard is probably the best and most flavorful frying fat for those who can eat it (obviously folks avoiding pork don't do this) but that explains the "add some bacon fat" if you don't have lard to get a similar flavor.
 

imaginative

keep your eye on the ball
This sounds like a great long weekend trip
Which restaurant do you recommend first Imaginative?

I DO KNOW that lard fries the best chicken but I have only ever used flour not bread crumbs


Great question

I would rank them in this order;

First would be Hopocan

And then tied for 2nd would be Belgrades and White House

We had another incredible Serbian Chicken dinner last night from Hopocan. And the (now gone) leftovers were irresistible this morning
 

NC Susan

Deceased
I don't use canola since it's Safety Clean machine motor oil that is made from
Canadian rape seeds and processed GMO
Yougoslavs would probably use grape or olive oil anyway
I'm going to cook this right now but will use Olive oil and skip the turkey since I want this as a side dish not as a full meal


http://eatsmarter.com/recipes/serbian-rice

Serbian Rice
with Turkey, Peppers and Tomatoes

1 pound turkey breast half
2 red bell peppers (400 grams)
2 onions
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons oil
salt
pepper
1 teaspoon ground paprika (sweet)
1 teaspoon ground paprika (hot)
7 ounces long-grain rice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 ¼ pints chicken broth
14 ounces diced tomatoes (canned)
 
Last edited:

imaginative

keep your eye on the ball
Let’s talk chicken with author of ‘Barberton Fried Chicken: An Ohio Original’

Nov 19, 2018
Ronald Koltnow is one of those Akron-area natives who moves away but continues his love affair with hometown food and connected memories.

He’s taken his love a step further than being sure to stop for a Swensons hamburger or other local food on visits home.

Koltnow, who grew up in West Akron and now lives in Boston, chose the chicken houses of Barberton (and Norton) for his first book, published this week: “Barberton Fried Chicken: An Ohio Original.”

He delves into the history of the Serbian fried chicken restaurants (four remaining, one closed) that made Barberton the “chicken capital of the world.” All of the restaurants are within a 2-mile radius, Koltnow noted. And all are known for their chicken fried in lard, fries, vinegar-based coleslaw and hot sauce — the rice, pepper and tomato mixture served with the chicken. The oldest is Belgrade Gardens, which opened in 1933.

The book publisher is American Palate, an imprint of Arcadia Publishing and the History Press. Koltnow will sign books at 1 p.m. Friday at Snowball Books, 564 W. Tuscarawas Ave., Barberton, and at 2 p.m. Saturday at the carriage house of Perkins Stone Mansion, Summit County Historical Society, 550 Copley Road, Akron. The book is available at the signing and on Amazon.

We talked chicken [and more] with Koltnow:

Q: Why not include a recipe for the chicken, hot sauce or coleslaw?

A: They are not mine to give. The restaurants guard their recipes carefully. This is a book about restaurants. This is not about cooking at home. In order to experience the Barberton fried chicken experience, you have to go there.

Q: Does Barberton chicken exist outside of Barberton (and Norton)?

A: I have never found it in the United States. The closest thing I’ve had to it is the Naschmarkt in Vienna, in the old Austro-Hungarian Empire. Brian Canale [who operates White House Chicken in Barberton and Hopocan Gardens in Norton] said if you would go to Serbia you would find it.

Q: What is Barberton chicken?

A: It’s the technique. There’s something about that cooking process [frying in lard] and the coating, it just adheres to the chicken beautifully, and when you get a bite, you get that snap and flow of juice. When they chill it overnight [which all the restaurants do after first coating it in egg and flour and then breadcrumbs] it has the same effect as brining. It yields juicier meat. What makes Barberton chicken special? It’s more of a technique than a recipe. (There are “subtle differences” between each house’s offerings, Koltnow said, echoing fans of one particular restaurant or another.)

Q: Are there Barberton foods on the horizon for which the city will/should be known for?

A: The man who owns Al’s Quality Market, Denny Gray, says Barberton should be known as the sausage capital of the world. If more people knew about Al’s, the variety of products it offers, it would be a go-to food destination for more people.

Hodge’s Café [897 Wooster Road, Barberton], they are developing quite a name for themselves. I think Barberton is a dining hot spot. You’ve not going to eat particularly healthy ... There’s the Green Diamond Grille [125 Second St. NW]. You can go there for Hunky Nights. It’s fabulous. There’s sandwiches and ice cream at the old Erie Depot [in a restored train station at 361 Fourth St. NW]. The Coffee Pot [205 Second St. NW], it’s going to celebrate 100 years in 2022.

Barberton has a remarkable little food culture that doesn’t get the attention it deserves. There’s Angie’s Italian Restaurant [343 Fourth St. NW] and Fa-Ray’s Family Restaurant [1115 Wooster Road N.].

Q: What is your favorite chicken piece?

A: My favorite piece, if I had to eat only one, it’s the chicken breast. But I love the back for its chewability. And you have those two little medallions of meat right along the spine that are about as sweet and juicy as chicken gets. Plus all that tasty breading. [White House is the only one of the four houses that does not serve the back separately, but as part of the breast.]

Q: Which is your fave chicken house?

A: I’m totally objective. Each restaurant has its own special characteristics. The owners and I have become friends. And since the basic dining experience is the same at all of the restaurants, I think they’re equally enjoyable.

Q: Will Barberton chicken survive changing tastes?

A: It’s a hard business model to maintain. The core clientele is older. They don’t draw enough young people. Part of my goal in writing this book was to get people to look at the chicken houses again and see if we can revitalize the traditions.

[Koltnow was born in 1952 and is a retired publishing sales representative. He says he’s been eating Barberton chicken all his life, recalling in his book dining at Belgrade Gardens almost every Sunday in the summer after swimming at White Pond Beach, where his parents met. In his teens, the family switched swim clubs to Loyal Oak and had regular dinners at Milich’s Village Inn in Norton, now under different ownership and called Village Inn.]

Q: You are leaving for a desert island and get to take three foods. What are they?

A: Swensons cheeseburger and Barberton chicken, and I’ve thought long and hard about the third one ... It’s probably sushi from Food Factory Miyake in Portland, Maine. It is without a doubt the best sushi I have ever had. It is the only place in the world where I will eat sea urchin, because the sea urchin you eat there in the evening was in the water that morning.

Q: Is Barberton chicken an acquired taste?

A: I think it sort of is. You go with your family. You grow up on it and you learn to love it. Sensible people [from out of town] enjoy it. But not my wife.

Q: Why are you so fascinated with Barberton chicken?

A: Well, I think it’s something about the combination of the immigrant experience and the family experience, and just the whole satisfying home-food deliciousness of it. It’s great comfort food.

My grandparents were from the Ukraine. They were Ukrainian Jews. Jews should not be eating Barberton fried chicken because of the lard, but I’m not kosher.

My grandfather was wise. He was a plumber and thought he’d go to the industrial Midwest. His philosophy was where there were new factories, workers’ homes would need plumbing. And that would guarantee him job security.

https://www.ohio.com/news/20181119/...thor-of-barberton-fried-chicken-ohio-original
 
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