It’s no secret that Thanksgiving is a holiday that’s all about food.

Come Thursday, folks across the nation will be doing what people do this time every year: chowing down on classic fixings like turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce and more. Of course, depending on your ethnic background, what constitutes “classic fixings” can vary.

For many African Americans, for example, Thanksgiving means it’s time to prepare and serve up some rather exotic dishes from the black culinary catalog … such as chitterlings, aka chitlins.

You know … cooked pig intestines.

Unless you grew up on Mars (or the extreme suburbs ... or some sort of vegan enclave), if you’re black, you are undoubtedly aware of what chitlins look like, smell like and, perhaps, even taste like. You’re also probably aware that a plate of chitlins isn’t exactly the healthiest dish in the world. (One 3-ounce serving reportedly contains 235 mg of cholesterol — 78 percent of your daily intake.)

The impending holiday and unhealthy nature of this famed delicacy begs the question: Is it time for black people (a group still disproportionately suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes and a variety of other preventable diseases) to kick unhealthy food traditions, like chitlins, to the curb — or should African Americans keep eating swine innards for the sake of cultural heritage?

Qcitymetro.com caught up with a trio of Charlotte-area foodies, and they offered their take on this issue:

Tiffany Hill, a Charlotte-based writer who focuses on healthy eating, arts and crafts: We need to throw the chitlins to the curb! Yes, they are a part of African American cuisine. Yes, our forefathers and mothers essentially were given the least-wanted part of the pig and out of pure survival and creativity made them taste good, survived and fed generations of families on them. But, there are some things that need to stay in the past and this is one of them — because pork intestines drenched in vinegar and hot sauce and many of the other traditional African American foods are killing us. There is a profound reason why the slaves were given that part of the pig or that type of food in the first place. I don’t care if the pig is organic or free-range. It is time to end cycles and introduce healthier eating traditions for new generations to come. 

Angela Lindsay, a local writer and owner of Mama Ann's Down Home Desserts: Chitlins are definitely a traditional food in many black families, including mine. However, I certainly understand the need to alter our eating habits due to the prevalence of diseases such as high blood pressure in our race. I don't care for chitlins personally, but like any other edible treat, if it is enjoyed in moderation — like only around the holidays — then I feel it is okay to indulge."

James Bazzelle, owner of Mert’s Heart & Soul restaurant: I personally, and my family, usually don’t eat the traditional chitlins, hog maw and pig feet during the holidays. But as a culture … I think people should continue tradition. We just can’t get watered down into the melting pot of America … we need to retain some of our culture from our past. Of course we know now that those items are not good for us on a regular basis … [but] if it feels good to you, knowing my mother and my grandmother used to have chitlins for Thanksgiving, I don’t see why it’s wrong to have chitlins once a year.

Craving more info on chitlins? OK, here you go:

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