Food in Mississippi

Catfish, a type of fish without scales, were first caught in Mississippi's rivers, but these days they more often come from special fish farms where they are raised in artificial ponds. Mississippi is first in the country at producing farm-raised catfish, and commercial fishing boats bring in shrimp, oysters, and red snapper from the Gulf of Mexico.

Farmers grow pecans, sweet potatoes, peaches, watermelons, soybeans and rice. They also breed poultry and cattle. Dairy products and food processing have are significant industries in Mississippi.

If visiting Mississippi, try root beer, a popular drink in many of the States that was invented by Edward Adolf Barq Sr. in Biloxi in 1898.

Mississippi foods

Mississippi food is typical Southerner food. Bacon, sausage patties, ham, biscuits and gravy, or grits are popular breakfast foods in Mississippi.

For dinner, main courses are fried chicken, hickory smoked ribs, deep-fried catfish, barbecued beef and chicken, complemented with seafood from the Gulf of Mexico, country fried steak and chitlins. The main course may be served with cornbread or flaky biscuits on the side. Popular vegetables are okra, collard greens, black eyed peas, green beans and corn on the cob. A common dish served with catfish is called "hush puppies" and they are balls of fried cornmeal dough. While fresh-caught fish were cleaned, rolled in cornmeal, and fried over a fire, some cornmeal was mixed with milk or water and fried in the same pan. These fried balls were given to the dogs to keep them from whining to be fed while people were cooking, hence the name hush puppies.

Have a sweet for dessert: Pecan pie, pudding, or peach cobbler will finish off the meal.

…and food events

Seafood Festival, Biloxi, September.

The Mississippi River Flood in 1927 wiped out near to three million acres of framland.

Recipes from Mississippi

The Mississippi river has several nicknames, such as "Old Man River" and "Big Muddy." As melted chocolate looks very much like that Mississippi mud, there are plenty of recipes for mud pies, mud cakes, even mud shakes.

Mud pies - peach cobbler.

Things to do, places to see

Belzoni claims to be the Catfish Capital of the World. Pollution has made impossible to pull catfish from the river, but there are plenty of catfish farms to indulge if you are into fishing or eating catfish.

Visit the quaint restaurants in the Old Town District at Bay St. Louis.

Mississippi sites

The official Mississippi State site.