Where in the world is Cackalacky? Why, it’s right here, all around us. Cackalacky is a “humorous” variation of Carolina.
You might say that Cackalacky is a “military term,” as it was apparently coined by Army soldiers and Marines from “Off” who were stationed at bases and camps in North Carolina after World War II.
They wrote to their loved ones back home that they were stuck in “Cackalacky,” poking fun at the “rural nature, rusticity and remoteness” of the Old North State.
Cackalacky has been a
research interest of several university professors. Dr. Paul Jones, who retired
from the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, liked to josh
with his students, saying Cackalacky was “a Welsh word that has to do with the
noise a dragon makes when it belches.”
In actuality, Dr. Jones said Cackalacky “is a gentle insult from folks who didn’t necessarily want to be here.”
Dr. Walt Wolfram, a
professor at North Carolina State University, said Cackalacy “may have been
intended as an insult, but over time the term was reappropriated by natives,
and it is now embraced affectionately as a positive reference to state
identity.”
N.C. State’s university publicist said: “The positive use of Cackalacky is spreading, and the term has even been appropriated by commercial products that wish to reflect their downhome, regional heritage.”
“The original Cackalacky
Spice Sauce, a zesty, sweet potato-based barbecue sauce, was trademarked in
2001 and is now distributed throughout the state and well beyond.”
The sauce was created by Harry Page Skelton Sr., who was living in Chapel Hill at the time. He concocted his special barbecue sauce at home with more than a little help from his wife, Caroline Lee Skelton. She is now president of Cackalacky, Inc., based in Pittsboro in Chatham County.
Page Skelton had a good
job working with a telecommunications company in Research Triangle Park, but he
told Ashley Peterson, a contributor to the Chapelboro.com website, that “climbing
the corporate ladder felt more like running on a treadmill.”
“For Page Skelton, the self-titled ‘corporate guy’ turned barbeque cook, Cackalacky represents North Carolina’s spirit,” Peterson reported.
“Carolina Curious” is a regular feature on WFDD, the National Public Radio affiliate based at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem. Its reporters asked Skelton about the origin of the Cackalacky brand. “I was at a cookout, and one person said, ‘Hey man, pass me some of that Cackalacky sauce,’ and I was like ‘what?’ It was like that ‘a-ha’ moment.”
“It kind of has a folksiness to it. People giggle the first time they hear it,” Skelton said. “Cackalacky makes them laugh and smile.”
“Cackalacky” is the title
of a new bluegrass song that was released in 2020 by singer-songwriter Jim
Lauderdale as part of his “When Carolina Comes Home Again” album.
Preston Lennon, a correspondent to the Chatham News + Record, noted that Cackalacky has formed some interesting partnerships. One is with Cheerwine, the soft drink company based in Salisbury, to produce a “sweet ‘n savory ‘tomato based’ dipping-grilling sauce and marinade, made with both the Cheerwine formula and the ‘secret Cackalacky spice blend,’ Lennon wrote.
Cackalacky also collaborates with Greensboro-based Biscuitville to offer the “Cackalacky Chop Samich,” now available on the luncheon menu at 22 Biscuitville locations, according to Lennon.
Developed by celebrity chef
Andrew Hunter, it’s a spicy Southern fried pork chop cutlet, topped with
Carolina slaw and the Cackalacky/Cheerwine sauce on a buttery brioche bun.
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