​SOUTHERN CUISINE

One thing you can always count on as you travel the backroads of the Delta is finding incredibly delicious home cookin'. Some of our staples include: 

Delta Raised Fried Catfish and Hushpuppies
Delta Hot Tamales 
Steaks 
Fried Pickles and Koolickles 
Catfish Allison 
BBQ 
​Mile High Meringue Pie 
​Pimento Cheese
Crawfish 
Soul Food

Click here to eat your way through the Delta 

DELTA HOT TAMALES 

ACCORDING TO THE SOUTHERN FOODWAYS ALLIANCE AND THEIR MISSISSIPPI DELTA HOT TAMALE TRAIL, THE HISTORY OF THE HOT TAMALE IN THE AREA DATES BACK TO THE EARLY PART OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY WHEN MIGRANT WORKERS WERE BROUGHT FROM MEXICO TO WORK WITH AFRICAN AMERICANS HARVESTING COTTON. ANOTHER THEORY GIVES CREDIT TO THE ITALIAN POPULATION THAT TRAVELED DOWN THE RIVER AND SHARED RECIPES WITH THE MIGRANT WORKERS. 

BUT SOME THINK THAT TAMALES GO BACK ONE HUNDRED YEARS EARLIER TO THE U.S.-MEXICAN WAR WHEN U.S. SOLDIERS FROM MISSISSIPPI TRAVELED TO MEXICO AND BROUGHT HOME TAMALE RECIPES. LAST, OR MORE APPROPRIATELY FIRST, THE ORIGIN COULD GO BACK AS FAR AS THE NATIVE AMERICANS WHO INHABITED THE AREA FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS AND PLANTED MAIZE AS A PRIMARY FOOD SOURCE. REGARDLESS OF WHICH STORY YOU BELIEVE TO BE CORRECT, THE HOT TAMALE HAS BEEN AROUND THE DELTA FOR GENERATIONS. 

FOR THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE DELTA HOT TAMALE, AND INFORMATION ABOUT THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA HOT TAMALE TRAIL, PLEASE VISIT THE HOT TAMALE TRAIL WEBSITE.

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DELTA BBQ 

Mississippi is home to more competition-winning pitmasters than any other state, and here you’re more likely to find a variety of styles at a gas station or side-of-the-road smokehouse than a tablecloth-lined restaurant. Don't believe us? Just check out the BBQ Trail here.