Arkansas Food and Cuisine

[mcheiss]

Since we've been talking about gumbo I've been wondering if Louisiana cuisine makes it's way very much into Arkansas. Although for that matter I'm not sure if what many of us call typical Louisiana cuisine is found in all the state or not, especially northern Louisiana and onward to southern Arkansas.

North Lousiana seems more into Catfish to me, than Southen Lousiana.

[NCB]

^Well I can tell you this, SW Arkansas(well at least Foreman and parts of Texarkana) seems to love Louisiana shrimp.

During the height of the shrimping season, a small country restaurant in Foreman has a Louisiana shrimp(and crawfish) buffet. It almost seems like the entire town of 1000 comes out to get their LA shrimp.

And as you drive through the town, grocery stores, restaurants, and even some gas stations have signs up saying "Louisiana shrimp now available!"

[mcheiss]

Yeah, Catfish to the North, Shrimp to the South.

[Mith242]

^Well I can tell you this, SW Arkansas(well at least Foreman and parts of Texarkana) seems to love Louisiana shrimp.

During the height of the shrimping season, a small country restaurant in Foreman has a Louisiana shrimp(and crawfish) buffet. It almost seems like the entire town of 1000 comes out to get their LA shrimp.

And as you drive through the town, grocery stores, restaurants, and even some gas stations have signs up saying "Louisiana shrimp now available!"

Thanks for the info Nate. I may have spent part of my life in Pine Bluff but I don't think there was any Louisiana influence that I could tell there. Maybe even though it's in southern Arkansas it's just a little too far north. Maybe you have to be a little closer to the border. That and what about crawdads also known as crayfish, although I always heard the term crawdads in southern Arkansas? I know they are often associated with Louisiana but I do recall seeing some people in Pine Bluff eating crawdads although I don't think it was a big thing. But then again maybe it becomes a bigger thing as you get a little closer to the border.

[NCB]

^I normally only hear crawfish or crawdads around SW Arkansas. I can't recall ever heaing crayfish. I normally associate that term with areas much further north.

[Mith242]

^I normally only hear crawfish or crawdads around SW Arkansas. I can't recally ever heaing crayfish. I normally associate that term with areas much further north.

Good point, I do think that crayfish is more of a northern term. With crawfish being the other term used. Although as I said I always heard crawdads when I lived in Pine Bluff.

[NCB]

Down here, many people in the lower parts of SE Louisiana say crawdads, but for the most part, the only term you are going to hear anywhere in Louisiana is crawfish.

[Mith242]

Down here, many people in the lower parts of SE Louisiana say crawdads, but for the most part, the only term you are going to hear anywhere in Louisiana is crawfish.

I wonder what the general area is for crawdad/crawfish eating is. Ironically I've heard of two big areas that are very different. Louisiana and Sweden of all places.

[mcheiss]

I wouldn't have though Sweden.

[NCB]

North Lousiana seems more into Catfish to me, than Southen Lousiana.

Thats true for many areas, though south Louisiana loves it's fried catfish!

I wouldn't have though Sweden.

Oh yes!

In Sweden there are actual Crawfish parties. Many members of my family throw them.

Sweden now imports Crawfish from Louisiana, and the height of the season there is August. Crawfish are popular all over the country.

[Mith242]

I wouldn't have though Sweden.

Yeah I was pretty surprised to find out myself. I still haven't figured out if it's big year round though. I know it's very big around a holiday or festival or something. The only thing holding down consuption is the fact they can't get enough of them without depopulating the areas where they live. But apparently those appear to be the two big places for them.

[mcheiss]

There's a small Crawfish or "Crawdads" as the are called up here, near Beaver Lake.

[Mith242]

There's a small Crawfish or "Crawdads" as the are called up here, near Beaver Lake.

Yeah I've heard of a few up here but it's not like down in southern Arkansas. I've seen people's yards a little further south of Pine Bluff where you can see the burrows or whatever in people yards. Little mounds of dirt sometimes covering people's yards.

[Aporkalypse]

There's a small Crawfish or "Crawdads" as the are called up here, near Beaver Lake.

They used to tear up our rugby field at Hendrix in Conway when I was there. Those were pretty big ones, actually.

[Mith242]

They used to tear up our rugby field at Hendrix in Conway when I was there. Those were pretty big ones, actually.

I've heard of them causing problems like that in southern Arkansas. I hadn't heard of them causing problems like that in other areas of the state.