Food Heritage of the Delta

While it is true that most foods eaten in the Delta are eaten elsewhere, it is also true that the brand name “Mississippi Delta” can be applied to a unique set of foodways that has grown out of the fusion of ethnic traditions that reflect the Delta’s singular heritage.  African slaves and freedmen brought okra, black eyed peas, watermelon and sorghum from Africa.  Chinese brought rice, soybeans, and bananas.  Indigenous Americas contributed corn, peppers, peanuts, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and squash.  Italian and Lebanese brought pasta, and collards greens and Mexicans brought tamales.  The Mississippi itself added catfish.  All of these ingredients melded together in a recognizable cuisine:  cornbread, yams, fried fish and chicken, okra and tomatoes, rice, and banana pudding, along with biscuits, barbecue, slaw, pimento cheese, chicken spaghetti, and sweet tea, a cuisine loved by all Delta citizens regardless  of ethnicity, color, age or class.  

The Delta is not only known for its menu, but also for its contribution to the foodways of America.  Delta citizens carried their tastes with them during the great migration, introducing “food for the soul” to the American palate.  Indianola native Craig Claiborne grew up eating in his mother’s boarding house and became the Food Editor of the New York Times and author of numerous cookbooks.  More recently, Greenville’s Gayden Metcalfe celebrated Delta foods in her book Being Dead is No Excuse.  Greenwood based Viking Range produces some of the finest kitchen appliances and equipment available anywhere and sells its Delta-made products worldwide.  Its Alluvian Hotel, Alluvian Spa, and the Viking Cooking School draw visitors from the around the globe who want Delta dining experiences in the place where the cuisine began.   The Culinary Institute of America, in conjunction with the Southern Foodways Alliance and Viking Range has offered a food tour of the Delta, the only American food tour ever offered by the Institute, which normally takes its clients to Europe or Asia.  Doe’s Eat Place in Greenville won a prestigious James Beard Award this year for serving some of America’s finest steaks and Delta restaurants span the spectrum from fine dining to funky. And the Delta Hot Tamale Heritage Trail not only debuted recently on-line (www.tamaletrail.com) but resulted in tamale tasting tours that draw an increasing number of travelers to the region.

The Delta continues to produce unique and ever-changing food innovations.  Fried dill pickles are spreading across the nation, and the new Kool-Aid-marinated dill pickle, or koolickle, has recently been featured in the New York Times and in Associated Press articles.  It may not be everyone’s ideal of good taste, but they sure are popular with Delta children, and probably will be popular with the rest of America’s children soon.   Both fried and marinated pickles show the creativity that springs from the fusion of culinary approaches found in the Delta.