Food & Southern Cuisine
The Last Whole-Hog Pitmasters of Mississippi
Cooking an entire pig over coals for eighteen hours is a dying art. A few stubborn pitmasters are refusing to let it go.
Why Mississippi's Best Fried Chicken Might Be at a Gas Station
An unlikely institution of Southern food, the gas station kitchen serves some of the state's most beloved fried chicken. Locals have known for years.
Farm-to-Table Comes Home to a Farming State
In a place defined by agriculture, the local-food movement had to overcome an ironic obstacle: a supply chain built to ship everything away.
How Chefs Are Rescuing Catfish From the Fry Basket
Farm-raised catfish built an industry and a stereotype. A new wave of Mississippi kitchens is treating the fish as something worth plating carefully.
The Underground Supper Clubs Rewriting the Rules of Dining Out
Held in homes, warehouses, and borrowed spaces, invitation-only dinners are giving Mississippi chefs a freedom that restaurants rarely allow.
The Pecan Pie Purists Drawing Lines in the Sugar
Few desserts inspire more heated debate than pecan pie. In Mississippi, the arguments are theological.
The Delta Hot Tamale, Explained at Last
Neither quite Mexican nor quite Southern, the Delta tamale is one of American food's great puzzles. A wave of family stands is keeping it alive.
The Biscuit Gets the Respect It Always Deserved
A cluster of new bakeries is treating the humble biscuit as a craft worth obsessing over, down to the specific flour and the pull of the dough.
The Food Trucks Rewriting the Rules of Mississippi Dining
Low overhead and high mobility have made the food truck a launchpad for the state's most adventurous cooks, and a fixture at every festival and lot.