Slugburger (1989)

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 Â Â  "Slugburger" is not in that great work known as (you know the rest by now) John F. Mariani's ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN FOOD AND DRINK (1999).
    DARE ends at P-Sk.  Whatcha got?
    I looked in the Corinth (Mississippi) Yellow Pages under "Restaurants," but failed to find a "slugburger" in even a mid-1990s directory.  But it dates from 1918??
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 SLUGBURGER--124 Google hits
 SLUG BURGER--21 Google hits
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(GOOGLE)
 http://www.ouraaa.com/traveler/0107/festivals_for.html
 What’s a slugburger?

 Before heading to the 14th annual Slugburger Festival, July 12-14 in Corinth, Miss., you might want to know that slugburgers are not made from the terrestrial gastropod mollusk of the same name.

 According to the “Gourmand’s Guide to Dining in and Around Corinth,” a slugburger is “a burger made of a mixture of beef and some form of cheaper breading extender, which is then deep-fat fried to a golden brown instead of grilled as a common hamburger.” In the past, cornmeal was the most common extender and lard was used for frying; today, soybean meal is the extender of choice and vegetable oil is used for frying.
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 (PHOTO CAPTION: The Slugburger fesdtival in Corinth, Miss, may not have an appetizing name, but the centerpiece of the celebration is delicious. It's a burger made of beef and breading and then deep fried. /Mississippi Tourism photo    )
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 “The standard garnish for a slugburger is mustard, pickle and an ample dose of onions. Good manners requires everyone to partake at the same time so that afterward everyone’s breath is equally offensive,” the guide stated.

 The origin of the slugburger name is a matter of local debate. For many years, slugburgers were sold for a nickel and a slang expression for a nickel was a slug, hence the most common explanation for the name. Another popular explanation is that if you overindulge, you might feel as though someone slugged you in the stomach.

 Other featured foods include funnel cakes and fried green tomatoes.

 The Slugburger Festival is the major fundraiser for the Main Street Corinth downtown revitalization program. The Alcorn County Courthouse will be the site of the carnival, local entertainment and food vendors, while the celebrity headliners will perform on the nearby main stage.

 For more information, call (662) 287-1550, 1-877-347-0545 or visit www.slugburger.com online.


(PROQUEST NEWSPAPERS)
      SLUGBURGER FESTIVAL WILL BEGIN THURSDAY
              Times - Picayune (pre-1997 Fulltext).       New Orleans, La.: Jul 14, 1992.                   p. B.2:


      Celebration pays tribute to city's tasty slugburger
              Houston Chronicle (pre-1997 Fulltext).       Houston, Tex.: Jun 4, 1989.                   p. 34:
    CORINTH, Miss. - The poor man's hamburger will be honored with the Second Annual Downtown Corinth Slugburger Festival.

    The celebration pays tribute to Corinth's favorite delicacy, the slug, a deep-fried patty made from a soybean and meat mixture. A slugburger is most often served with onion, pickle and mustard.

    Last year, locals traced the history of the slugburger as far as 1918. That was the year meat market owner William R. McEwen and restaurant proprietor John Weeks devised a recipe to use unsaleable meat trimmings.

    Some of the athletic events scheduled last year were the slug-on-a-spatula relay, the slug squash, the slug-toss, the build-a-slug scavenger hunt and the slugburger eating contest. Most of the events had to be canceled because of lack of interest.