A Savory History of Arkansas Delta Food: Potlikker, Coon Suppers & Chocolate Gravy

by Cindy Grisham

Up and down the Arkansas Delta, food tells a story. Whether the time Bill Clinton nearly died on the way to a coon dinner or the connections made over biscuits and gravy or the more common chicken and dumpling feuds, the area is no stranger to history. One of America's last frontiers, it was settled in the late nineteenth century by a rough-and-tumble collection of timber men, sharecroppers and entrepreneurs from all over the world who embraced the traditional foodways and added their own twists. Today, the Arkansas Delta is the nation's largest producer of rice and adds other crops like catfish and sweet potatoes. Join author Cindy Grisham for this delicious look into Delta cuisine.

Genres: Nonfiction

131 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 10, 2013

Reviews

[Charlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is about food in my neck of the woods, Northeast Arkansas. This is where I grew up, the towns I visited with family and on my own, and the food I was raised on (except chocolate gravy - we did not eat that in my house ever). The recipes are incidental to the stories. This is a book I want to give to foreign visitors - those not from 'round here.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grisham gives Arkansas Delta Food a context and then narrates a mouthwatering tour of the variety of comestibles, from one end of the pig to the other and through gardens of every kind, that Arkansas enjoys. I loved this book and learned so much I had to stop and share interesting trivia with my husband every few pages.

[Kathleen Huben · Rating 3 out of 5]

A look at the history, food, and people of the Arkansas Delta. It's a short, pleasant read with ancedotes about local residents and their memories of family food traditions and recipes. Like most "regional" books it is going to appeal to people who live in surrounding areas but may also be of interest to anyone curious about country-style Southern cooking.

[Rachel Schichtl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book, quick read. Nothing earth shattering really, but a fun look into the foods from Arkansas.