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Eat Drink Delta: A Hungry Traveler's Journey through the Soul of the South
The Mississippi Delta is a complicated and fascinating place. Part travel guide, part cookbook, and part photo essay, Eat Drink Delta by veteran food journalist Susan Puckett (with photographs by Delta resident Langdon Clay) reveals a region shaped by slavery, civil rights, amazing wealth, abject deprivation, the Civil War, a flood of biblical proportions, and—above all—an overarching urge to get down and party with a full table and an open bar.
There’s more to Delta dining than southern standards. Puckett uncovers the stories behind convenience stores where dill pickles marinate in Kool-Aid and diners where tabouli appears on plates with fried chicken. She celebrates the region’s hot tamale makers who follow the time-honored techniques that inspired many a blues lyric. And she introduces us to a new crop of Delta chefs who brine chicken in sweet tea and top stone-ground Mississippi grits with local pond-raised prawns and tomato confit. The guide also provides a taste of events such as Belzoni’s World Catfish Festival and Tunica’s Wild Game Cook-Off and offers dozens of tested recipes, including the Memphis barbecue pizza beloved by Elvis and a lemon ice-box pie inspired by Tennessee Williams.
To William Faulkner’s suggestion, “To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi,” Susan Puckett adds this Go to the Delta with an open mind and an empty stomach. Make your way southward in a journey measured in meals, not miles.
There’s more to Delta dining than southern standards. Puckett uncovers the stories behind convenience stores where dill pickles marinate in Kool-Aid and diners where tabouli appears on plates with fried chicken. She celebrates the region’s hot tamale makers who follow the time-honored techniques that inspired many a blues lyric. And she introduces us to a new crop of Delta chefs who brine chicken in sweet tea and top stone-ground Mississippi grits with local pond-raised prawns and tomato confit. The guide also provides a taste of events such as Belzoni’s World Catfish Festival and Tunica’s Wild Game Cook-Off and offers dozens of tested recipes, including the Memphis barbecue pizza beloved by Elvis and a lemon ice-box pie inspired by Tennessee Williams.
To William Faulkner’s suggestion, “To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi,” Susan Puckett adds this Go to the Delta with an open mind and an empty stomach. Make your way southward in a journey measured in meals, not miles.
296 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 17, 2015
This is a beautiful book, and it sparked my interest in the Delta, which I know little about. The combination of photography and deep knowledge of the region and its staples and eating places is highly effective.
June 25, 2013
I hope I remember this book when I plan my driving tour of the south (this fall?). So many small, unique, family-run restaurants to explore!
February 17, 2017
Travelogue of places, food and people of the Mississippi delta region by a former food editor of the AJC.
April 14, 2015
I thought there would be more recipes in this book. It is basically reviews of various restaurants in the Mississippi Delta. But there is a coleslaw recipe in here that looks delish & I will let you know how that turns out.
May 20, 2013
Not what I expected...this is more of "where to eat" as a "how to cook it". The stories and how they connect with the food is interesting but I wanted to know how to prepare the food.
February 25, 2016
This book is great if you're planning a Delta binge road trip or if you're looking for a beloved local recipe for kool-aid pickles.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews