Funny how dishes from all over the world which were originally "peasant" food (designed to help stretch poor people's resources) have become so popular. A lot of the folks chowing down in trendy bistros on the newest haute cuisine are totally unaware of how "lower class" the food they're enjoying used to be considered. Goetta was originally designed to use up the absolute last parts of the pig (everything but the oink).

 

Salmon used to be considered "junk food" because it was so abundant and during the Depression, thousands of people survived on it. Likewise, lobster was so common, it was fed to prisoners, until in one prison (I forget where), the inmates rioted. And no wealthy person would have been caught dead eating a hamburger in the 1920s. Or a hot dog, for that matter.

 

As far as goetta is concerned, it hasn't really migrated out of the greater Cincy area because it's kind of hard to prepare properly. If you don't do it right, the patty just falls apart (it'll still taste good; it just won't function as a patty). That's because it's coarse and kind of "loose" and it's hard to sear properly. Don't use any oil, and preheat your saucepan.

 

I've only been to Cincy twice, and it seemed like I should have spent much more time there. But in each case, I was on business and couldn't linger. It seems really diverse, and as a "border city" (between the North and the South), there are a lot of different food, music, etc. influences mixed together.