OKRACAST: Duck Stew and Dried Shrimp

Okracast

Welcome to OKRACAST, the podcast of the Southern Foodways Alliance! We’re in Louisiana for this week’s episode, from uptown New Orleans to the edge of the Bayou. Grab a pen and paper to take notes as Becky Currence, mother of James Beard Award winning chef John Currence, walks us through her recipe for wild duck stew. Mrs. Currence says that it’s one of the “first dishes John admitted to the world that he took his influence from me.” Oral historian Sara Roahen brings us to Grand Isle, LA, where Robert Collins is a third-generation shrimp drier. It’s a tradition Robert’s grandfather learned in the 1930s from Chinese shrimpers who lived and worked in the area. Mr. Collins talks about growing up in Grand Isle, joining the family business, and the challenges facing the dried shrimp business. Visit www.southernfoodways.org for more.