Members of Bethany United Methodist Church in north Fayette County are gearing up for a yearly tradition that dates back to 1908 — the annual cooking and sale of the Perlieu Stew. This year’s sale will be held on Saturday, Oct. 30, from noon until 5 p.m. — or until the stew is sold out.
It actually all started as a non-church event when some men from the Bethany-Fairburn-Fife area got together one fall after shooting some wild game. The men met at what is now Lee’s Mill and cooked down a mixture of rabbit, game, potatoes and onions in a huge pot. They called it “Perlieu Stew” from the French meaning “many things cooked together.”
The meeting and the cooking continued each fall for many years until the wives decided to get in on it and sell the delicious stew to earn money for their church projects.
In 1942, they decided to leave out the wild game and change to chicken, which is the present recipe. But the mixture is still cooked in big iron pots at the church.
To the 38 pounds of hens cooked and boned at home, the men add 40 pounds of potatoes, 50 cans of corn, 65 cans of tomatoes, and 15 pounds of onions, simmered in the pots for four hours. To that is added eight pounds of cooked rice and 12 pounds of butter, and the stew simmers for another hour.
Served with pickles, potato chips, and bread, adult plates are $8 and children’s plates are $5. Pints of stew are $6 and quarts are $10.
Bethany is on the corner of Lee’s Lake and Rivers/Milam Roads in north Fayette County.
For more information, call the church office, 770-964-6999.
