Discover The Deep South USA on a Food Tour

Maggi Smit • 3 January 2018

Deep South USA is a gourmet's delight and restaurants come in all shapes, styles and sizes. There are five-star establishments offering fine dining and beachfront shacks cooking the freshest seafood. Be sure to sample sumptuous Southern specialties such as fried green tomatoes, mint juleps, peach cobbler, gumbo, soul food, jambalaya, fried chicken, barbecue ribs, iced tea, grits, catfish and soft-shell crabs. You'll be spoilt for choice!


Louisiana
When you talk about cuisine, Louisianans really come into their own. Their passion for great food is an intrinsic part of their heritage passed down through generations. From Gumbo, e'toufe'e, beignets, boudin, jambalaya, pralines and TABASCO® using the very best local ingredients lovingly prepared from shared family recipes and not to be missed. New Orleans even invented the cocktail, so make sure you sample a few on your journey!


Mississippi
From the Hill Country to the Coast restaurants make travel in Mississippi a culinary adventure. Catfish and tamales rule in the Delta, as places such as Airport Grocery in Cleveland and The Donut Shop (yes, it serves tamales) in Natchez. Seafood and barbecue take the spotlight on the Coast, as exemplified by the Blow Fly Inn in Gulfport and The Shed Barbeque in Gulfport and Ocean Springs. Traditional favourites include the Crystal Grill and Lusco's in Greenwood, and The Little Dooey for barbecue in Starkville. For a quick stop try Brent's Soda Fountain in Jackson featured in the movie The Help.


Tennessee
The essential made-in-Tennessee product, besides music, is food. Naturally, you'll crave something soulful. At Puckett's Grocery in Franklin and Nashville they're serving the same mouth-watering barbecue that launched the family business back in the 1950s. Also in Franklin is Gray's on Main which skews sophisticated - go for a grilled pimento BLT and pecan-crusted okra inside this handsomely repurposed pharmacy. For stripped-down soul Mason in the capital with two West Tennessee originals: Bozo's Hot Pit Bar-B-Q and Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken.


Alabama
From sophisticated seafood to decadent desserts, Alabama's signature dishes have loyal fans the world over. Stone-ground baked grits at Highlands Bar & Grill in Birmingham, oysters at Wintzell's on the Gulf Coast and mouth-watering ribs from Dreamland are just a few of our 'Sweet Home' specialities. Alabama is also the home of barbecue with more eateries than any other US state! Read about '100 Dishes To Eat In Alabama Before You Die'.


Kentucky
While best known for its signature drink offerings (bourbon, wine and the famous Kentucky Derby mint julep), The Bluegrass State is also home to a number of innovative food dishes such as Louisville's "hot brown" and a hearty culinary heritage. And of course, Colonel Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, perfected his secret recipe and launched his global empire from the café that you can still visit. Kentucky country ham is cured by dry-rubbing rather than soaking, giving it a deliciously unique flavour different from other states. Kentucky barbecue, usually pork or mutton rather than beef, is smoked in a hickory pit, sometimes for a full day, to achieve its distinctive taste.


For more information or to book your Deep South USA holiday contact us on 020 8742 8299, sales@americaasyoulikeit.com

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