Mia

I made this and it did taste good, however, I am going back to making fried green tomatoes the way they were traditionally made by our ancestors. My grandmothers and their grandmothers were much too poor and too busy to use extra ingredients (they would never have used bread crumbs because at their time it would have been extra work and wasteful), or pamper tomato slices through multiple dredging steps. As for dipping sauces? They would have thought us silly wasting money and time on something that distracted from or overwhelmed the taste of the tomatoes. I tried, but I like the traditional, simple way more.

This is how my southern grandmother usually made fried green tomatoes, except she fried all foods in bacon grease or lard. My western grandmother made them the same way except she used flour instead of cornmeal, and she fried all foods in bacon grease and lard, until as a senior citizen in the 1970s, she switched to sometimes using Crisco for fried chicken. Both grandmothers used bacon grease when they had enough because, since it was left over from other meals, it was free, and it added flavor for free. Both of my grandmothers and my great- aunts would have scoffed and waved away anyone suggesting more ingredients, more steps, and dipping sauces. I make fried green tomatoes the way they did, except I fry in vegetable oil. Thanks for posting an authentic recipe.