Before I travelled to the state of Mississippi, I knew it was famous for the enormous river. I also knew it was called the Magnolia State and that it was well-known for its southern hospitality and blues music. That’s about it! Little did I know…
Tucking into my first meal on the day I arrived, I knew there was something special about Mississippi’s southern cuisine. It was 11 pm at my hotel restaurant and I had just arrived in Biloxi after a sleepless 9-hour flight. A lovely plate of stuffed mushrooms with blue crabmeat, blue cheese, garlic butter and fine herbs sorted me out. That was the moment I knew I had to find out more about the foods of Mississippi.
Here are seven foods you should try when you’re in Mississippi.
1. Fried green tomatoes with comeback sauce
A staple on many menus in Mississippi, fried green tomatoes is an appetizer you must try. Unripe green tomatoes are coated in and fried in seasoned breading made with breadcrumbs, cracker crumbs or cornflour. It’s served with comeback sauce, a creamy southern style mayo that’s well-known in Mississippi.
“Y’all come back” is a goodbye I heard often when travelling around Mississippi. I love that as a concept, as it’s not a definite goodbye. Not sure if the sauce was named after this, but it sure made me come back for more.
Although I can imagine this spicy mayo goes with all kinds of food, fried green tomatoes and comeback sauce are a match made in heaven. The slightly sweet and sour sauce with a hint of chili compliments the crisp bitterness of the fried green tomatoes. Together they make for a crunchy yet mushy, tangy yet fresh appetizer you can’t miss of your list of foods to try in Mississippi.
2. Charbroiled oysters
Being a state on the Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi has seafood in abundance. Oysters can be found everywhere. I like fresh oysters every now and then, but these are better. These are charbroiled! (Sorry, oyster connoisseurs.)
Charbroiled oysters, covered with grated cheese and herbs, are completely different to when you eat them fresh. Grilling oysters gives them a meatier texture and stronger flavour unlike anything I’ve tasted before. I really enjoyed the different flavour options on the menu, such as chili oysters or ones with finely chopped bacon melted into the cheese. If you want to try them all, I recommend ordering an assorted platter.
3. Fried dill pickles
This is a snack I probably expected least of. Don’t get me wrong, I love pickles in sandwiches and salads, but I just couldn’t imagine them fried. Kind of like fried ice-cream, or deep-fried Mars bars. Order a serving of crunchy fried dill pickles and you’ll literally find southern style breaded slices of pickle, deep-fried, on your plate. There isn’t much to it really. But wow, I was completely blown away by the flavour.
The fresh taste with the tanginess of the dill pickles, combined with the peppery batter is addictive. Once I started eating them, I couldn’t stop at all! They are so more-ish. It’s probably a good thing you can’t get fried dill pickles where I live, because I would have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner! If you know where to get them in the UK, please don’t ever tell me!
4. Shrimp and grits
A cooked, filling dish with seafood for breakfast? Why not? Shrimp and grits are an important part of southern cuisine. I had never tried grits before. I wasn’t even sure what grits were when I tried them. The closest thing I could think of in European cuisine is polenta.
It turns out that grits are made from corn, like polenta, but a different type. Dent corn is what grits are made of, which makes them much creamier and smoother than polenta when cooked. I would say as creamy as oat porridge.
The grits are topped with large shrimps, grilled bacon, cajun seasoning, spring onion and cayenne pepper for a hint of spice. A buttery sauce is poured over to make the meal even creamier. Absolute bliss!
So imagine that, a bowl of ground, starchy corn with delicious shrimps, for breakfast. That will give you some energy for the day! (Or send you straight back to bed, completely satisfied). Lots of southern folks eat them for lunch or dinner, by the way, but it’s a traditional breakfast dish. So go for it. Try this dish any time of day!
5. Mississippi mud pie
A meal isn’t complete without a dessert, and we’ve got you sorted! Mississippi mud pie is chocolate heaven on a plate, originated in -you guessed that right- Mississippi. Leave a bit of room for this finale, because this pie is rich!
Mud pie is usually made with a crumbly chocolate biscuit crust, melt in the middle chocolate and chocolate custard or cream on top. Yes you read that right, that’s chocolate in every layer of the pie! The pie is finished with a sprinkle of Oreo crumble, chocolate curls, or pecan nuts, or a combination of all.
Mississippi mud pie is usually served with vanilla ice cream. Once you try the combination, you know why that’s a great idea! Don’t forget to have this for pudding in Mississippi. Because it’s chocolate, it goes with any dish.
6. Blue crab
The abundance of blue crabs in the gulf of Mexico, makes their sweet meat a food staple of Mississippi. You can find this delicious crustacean on most menus, prepared in a variety of ways. Blue crab is often added to dishes for its sweet taste and as added protein.
A popular dish is to serve the crab meat in iceberg lettuce cups. The meat is marinated in a sweet and tangy Italian dressing. So fresh and delicious! A must try if you’re after a light, refreshing salad on one of Mississippi’s typically hot summer days. This doesn’t come cheap though, as it’s made with jumbo lump, which is the most expensive grade of crabmeat.
Luckily you can find Mississippi Gulf blue crab cooked in different ways. Fried crab claws, blue crab Nicoise salad, crab sautéed in garlic and butter, in gumbo, or fried soft-shell crab. I tried the fried crab claws and they were delicious and easy (read: not messy) to eat.
7. Gumbo
This list can go on and on, because there’s so much amazing food in Mississippi! I could be here for a year and eat something new every day, but it would also take you a year to read this article. I can’t not mention gumbo on this list. It originated in south Louisiana, but is a very popular dish throughout the southern states.
I had my eye on this dish from day one. Someone at another table ordered it. You know the feeling when food for another table comes past and you think to yourself “That looks amazing, I wish I’d ordered that”? Well, that wasn’t the case with gumbo. It doesn’t look very special, as a dish. It was the smell that made me want to eat it. Such a rich, meaty, fishy, stewy, warm aroma that just makes your mouth water.
Gumbo is a stew made with dark roux as a base. It has vegetables such as celery, okra and onions, chicken, sausage and shrimp in it. The stew is served over rice. Having Indonesian heritage, I love rice in soup, so gumbo is my kind of food.
The problem with gumbo is that it’s one of those dishes everybody makes at home. Everybody has their own recipe, with different addition. It’s all delicious, but there is definitely a different flavour depending on who made it. The taste of gumbo relies heavily on the roux. You just have to try different restaurants and see which one you like best. There are worse tasks I can think of!
I can really recommend these foods when you’re in Mississippi. However, it’s only a selection of all the fantastic traditional food I tried while travelling there. You will find a lot more food-treasure I’m sure, just don’t miss out on the recommendations in this list!
Have you tried any of these foods? Please let us know in the comments!