Explore the placemats featured on the dining table in our exhibit RESETTING THE TABLE: EXPLORING FOODWAYS IN VICKSBURG.
BBQ
What’s on the plate? Ribs, pulled pork with pickles and onion slices, baked beans, corn on the cob, and garlic bread “We’ve had doctors and lawyers sitting down next to painters and the guy that comes from waste management and…
Delta Chinese
What’s on the plate? Whole fish, stir fry vegetables, fried rice, and corn on the cob Most Chinese immigrants in Mississippi came from a district in south China called Sze Yap, and they came not to settle for good but…
Southern
What’s on the plate? Tomato aspic, biscuits, quiche, and Vicksburg tomato sandwiches “During the post-Civil War [era], African American cooks were employed in white homes, and as a result, the recipes were developed by Black and white cooks working together.…
Jewish
What’s on the plate? Brisket, collard greens, matzo ball gumbo, potato latkes, and grits “When we study food in the south, we unveil a web of social relations defined by race, class, ethnicity, gender, and shifting economic forces” — Marcie…
Soul Food
What’s on the plate? Catfish, black-eyed peas, collard greens, corn bread, and sweet potato pie Soul food is a term used for an ethnic cuisine traditionally prepared by African-Americans typically in the South. The term soul food didn’t become common…
Lebanese
What’s on the plate? Dolmas, kibbe, Lebanese green beans, pita bread, and olives Most Delta Lebanese settlers were from the Mount Lebanon region of Syria. The first wave of settlers began in the 1880s and continued through the 1920s. Most…