For The Deer Hunter’s birthday last week I made a pot of soup beans, soupy taters, side meat, cornbread, and our first mess of kilt lettuce. It was all so good!
Kilt lettuce is a traditional Appalachian recipe. I grew up eating it with Granny and Pap and always enjoyed it.
Jim and I included the recipe in our cookbook Celebrating Southern Appalachian Food – Recipes & Stories from Mountain Kitchens.
Here’s the recipe from the book:
KILT LETTUCE
Leaf lettuce
Onions
Hot grease
Salt and pepper
Each Spring I look forward to the first kilt lettuce of the season. Various names are used for the traditional Appalachian dish: killed lettuce, kill lettuce, wilted lettuce, lettuce and onions, killed salad, or the word “kilt” used here. Kilt lettuce should be served immediately after making. The dish uses fresh leaf lettuce from the garden or branch lettuce that grows wild along the creek. The way Granny taught me was to begin by picking and washing leaves of lettuce, making sure to dry off as much water as possible. Sometimes I wash mine early in the morning and leave it drying on a towel in the fridge. Cut up several green onions, including tops, and mix with torn lettuce in a bowl, adding salt and pepper to taste. Pour hot bacon or streaked meat (salt pork) grease over mixture. Be prepared for lots of hissing and popping when the grease hits the lettuce. Toss and serve quickly. It doesn’t take much grease; a little goes a long way.
Tip: Kilt Lettuce goes wonderfully with cornbread and soup beans.
Miss Cindy made her kilt lettuce slightly different. Here’s a quote about it from her.
“Cook a few slices of bacon and crumble it in a bowl on top of the torn lettuce and cut green onions (cut onions including the tops). Add salt and pepper. Heat the remaining bacon grease and pour it on the greens then add vinegar or lemon juice to the hot pan and swirl it then pour it on the greens. Toss the bowl contents to mix and eat immediately…with cornbread. The lettuce is so fragile that it doesn’t take much grease to wilt it and the lemon/vinegar is hot so it helps to wilt it as well.”
If you’re interested in picking up a copy of Celebrating Southern Appalachian Food – Recipes & Stories from Mountain Kitchens you can find it here.
Last night’s video: First Summer Planting, Granny Update, & Matt Tells the Truth about Little Debbies.
Tipper
Subscribe for FREE and get a daily dose of Appalachia in your inbox
Never called it kilt lettuce.. I always thought my family here in Ky said wilt lettuce. 72 and learning
O I love killed lettuce. yes it does go good with soupbeans and Cornbread. Mmmm so good.
We had Miss Cindy’s way of doing it on the menu at a restaurant where I worked when in HS here in East Central IL, in the early 80’s, can’t recall what they called it though, goodness, sorry.
I grew up in Oklahoma and lived with my precious Grandparents the first eleven years of my life. She always made wilted lettuce. She made it just like you. I still make it and have also made it like Miss Cindy. Your dinner sounds so good. Exactly like my Granny’s Suppers. She made fresh side pork and salt pork often.
I’ve seen previous videos and writings you have made about ‘kilt lettuce ‘. For some reason, today it sounded extra yummy. As I was reading the first part of your post I was wondering if I could use bacon grease. I was really happy to keep reading and finding Miss Cindy’s recipe. I will be making it this week. Very thankful for Granny being home and having found your wisdom 3 years ago. Blessings to all of you!!! ❣️
Yummy!
Will have to try
I remember laughing at a restaurant way back in the 1980s when I saw a salad on this fancy menu that described a “Bacon Salad” in many fancy words. It was nothing more than “kilt” lettuce. I wonder if the customers knew they were paying close to $12 for a traditional Appalachian salad eaten by my poor folks?
Ours was more like Miss Cindy’s except with spinach leaves only. Haven’t had it in forever…going to have to fix it soon!
I
Miss Cindy way is how grandmother made it.. Both sound good Do you like Chess pie ?
Ricky-I think it is good 🙂
Central Missouri, wilted lettuce, done with green onion, bacon and bacon grease, vinegar and a tad of sugar. Manna from heaven come through daddy’s garden. J.
I had never heard of Kilt Lettuce until last spring when I saw you make it on a video. I knew immediately that it was something I wanted to try. My husband and I liked it. It’s time to make it again. So glad Granny is back home and improving each day. Continued prayers for renewed strength for her.
Yummy…all my favorites too! The mention of soupy potatoes brought back some great memories. I still have the aluminum bowl my mother used for kilt lettuce and mixed cornbread in.
I have never heard of Kilt Lettuce or the other names you mentioned, but when I was a kid here in Northern Mississippi my Dad would make it the way you do except he cut up radishes in his. He called it Rabbit Food. What kind of lettuce are you suppose to use for your recipe? I’m anxiously awaiting Corie’s bundle of joy, and so happy that little Ira & Katie are doing well. Prayers still going up for Granny & your entire family. So so glad she got to go home!
Cheryl-we have always used leaf lettuce 🙂
Could I use Romaine Lettuce? I have Romaine Lettuce growing in pots. I have bush cucumbers growing in a pot, too. Have you grown cucumbers in pots or grow bags before & do you think I will have any cucumbers growing them in pots? As you can see I am not too knowledgeable about gardening. Thanks
Cheryl-yes you can use romaine 🙂 I’ve never grown cucumbers in a pot but don’t see why they wouldn’t grow. I hope you have a lot!
We used leaf lettuce or wild creasy sallet. Recipe the same, but never heard it called kilt salad.
My lettuce is not ready yet but this post makes me hungry for a big mess of killed lettuce with some soup beans and cornbread. Mom never used anything but bacon grease to kill the dishpan full of lettuce she fixed for six hungry people. I don’t eat pork so I use olive oil to kill my lettuce and it’s not as good as I remember it from my childhood.
Norman, I prayed for you and Ann as soon as I saw your post. God is good!
My grandparents made kilt lettuce salads.
They also gathered cress and ate that with bread and sardines. I was never crazy about the sardines but I loved the kilt lettuce.
Kilt (or killed) lettuce was one of my favorite springtime dishes as well. It’s been years since anyone in our family has been able to plant a garden. I miss it so much!
First, Happy Birthday to Matt!
I’ve heard of wilted lettuce and it called kilt lettuce, but Ive never made or ate it. Sounds good, so I’m going to have to make me some. My hubby doesn’t like trying new things, but maybe I can get him to try a bite.
I’ve always been intrigued by this recipe, I think I’ll have to try it this spring! My grandma always loved corn bread and soup beans but I don’t recall her ever making kilt lettuce. I never did like soup beans growing up but as an adult it’s one of my favorites. I realized she actually likes them very soupy and I like them thick and more like a creamy porridge. Both of us like them with ham.
Growing up we ate “wilted lettuce “ and still enjoy it today. It is like Miss Cindy’s recipe. Fry a little chopped bacon, add sliced onions, pinch of sugar and splash of vinegar to the hot grease and pour over lettuce. We have had a couple messes and it is delicious. We continue to pray that Granny’s strength improves.
My recipe is a lot like Ms. Cindy’s. We love and look forward to kilt lettuce salad…of course with beans and cornbread! Have a great week.
I have never made kilt lettuce, but it sounds delicious. Our onions are ready for picking, but our lettuce got planted late and isn’t ready yet. I may have to buy some leaf lettuce and some bacon today and try this. Hope everyone has a wonderful day wherever you are. And a special prayer sent up for Granny. ♥️
I think kilt lettuce must be quite good for you considering it’s greens and grease with onions to “clean things out” and make a person feel better and have cleaner intestines. It probably kills cancer COLD in it’s tracks and terrified too! I’ve seen ramps served with hot grease, potatoes and eggs in dishes. I like beans and cornbread with fresh vegetables from the garden-always a treat! Bon appetite!! I will pray for the infirmed this morning! Blessings to you all!
My eastern Ky mother always grew some lettuce by the garage as early as she could (Ohio’s winters are harsh) and placed an old window over the area to keep it warm and let the light in. When it started to grow, she would remove the window and put a light cover of some sort over it at night. We would get several “wilted lettuce” salads from it. She made it the same way as you, Tipper. We usually ate it with “soup beans”, fried taters and cornbread. I love wilted lettuce, especially with the green onions (I love onions). I’m happy Granny is doing well, and Katie and Ira also are doing well.
My family also came to Ohio from eastern ky, during my grandparents childhood. We’re in southern Oh. Lots of ky roots here!
Kill lettuce & onions straight from the garden was always on our supper table. Mommy did hers just like granny and I still do! I love it!
Norman I will say a prayer for your sister.
Everyone have a good day. Blessings sent to all.
In my family it has always been scalded lettuce. That’s unique to us, I guess, as I never hear it anywhere else. We’ve always been out of step with the rest of the world. Some of us were able to shed that burden and make something of themselves. Thank God I was not one of them!
I have never ate kilt lettuce. I did eat something over the weekend I look forward to each spring, it was a big Athena cantaloupe grown either in South Georgia or Florida. I love eating it along with some biscuits and gravy for breakfast. The gravy would be especially good to me if it was made from the grease of fatback or side meat . My family called this gravy “hunky doo” gravy. We would eat biscuits and hunky doo gravy several mornings each week when I was growing up. No cornflakes or any other cereal was ever ate or in our home when I was growing up. I joke and say if I was on death row, I would ask for this gravy and biscuits for my last meal.
70 years ago I ate in the elementary school cafeteria until the first day Mom would kill lettuce and onions. On that day I would tell the teacher I was going to RUN home for lunch, and I would.
I think I’ll have to try that! We love watching your vlogs, all the family time is so refreshing to see these days.
Thanks for reminding me of the lettuce recipe, the update of everyone’s Granny and watching Matt with his new toy. It does make plowing a breeze or at least shorter time wise. Prayers for Granny and you guys and how is Katie’s son doing?
Glenda-thank you! Baby and momma are doing good 🙂
my sister Ann is having surgery for cancer today, her third time, she will be in Atlanta Emory hospital, please pray,
Norman-I will pray for Ann.
Norman, I am praying for your sister.
Norman- Saying a prayer for your sis.
Will be praying for your dear sister, Ann, Mr. Norman. Hope everything goes well and she can look forward to a speedy and healing recovery. God bless you all. Jennifer
I’m reading this rather late in the day, so I hope and pray that she’s come through well so she can heal. Wishing her a restful night, little pain, and peace of mind.
When I was growing up it was called wilted lettuce. We made it just as you do. Love it!
My mother called hers wilted lettuce, and her recipe was much like Miss Cindy’s. The only difference is Mom added sugar to the vinegar. I use her recipe to this day. Wilted/kilt salad is, bar none, my favorite salad.
Nancy, we add a bit of sugar to ours, too. If I remember right, both of my grandmothers made this but I don’t know if they added sugar or not. I had to look online for a recipe when I started making it in my 50s and it tastes so good, I keep doing it that way.