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Food in Arkansas

Food processing is a major industry, as well as farming as Arkansas is a leader for producing poultry and eggs, and growing rice. Farmers also raise cattle, for both meat and dairy, and hogs. Other Arkansas crops are soy beans, sorghum, and wheat. Farmers also plant tomatoes, snap beans, grapes, and pecans.

The pink tomato grown in southern Arkansas is both the state fruit and the state vegetable. The tomato is really a fruit, but it is not as sweet as most fruits and tomatoes have always been used as a vegetable in cooking.

Arkansas foods

Arkansas is in The South, so it is not surprising to find that the standard fare includes barbecue, beef cuts, especially prime rib, fried chicken, and fried catfish sandwiches, corn bread, coleslaw, okra, and other traditional southern vegetables. Now add quail, shrimp, rack of lamb, and, of course, watermelon to the list.

Barbecue restaurants and steak houses are usually easy to find. Diners and "all you can eat" buffets and cafeterias are also popular.

…and food events

Hope Watermelon Festival, Hope, August

Recipes from Arkansas

Chocolate rice pudding - Prime rib served with fries and coleslaw.

Arkansas

Land of Opportunity

Capital: Little Rock

State bird: Mockingbird

State tree: Pine

State Flower: Apple blossom

 

Arkansas sites
Visitor food and wine info


Hope, where the world's biggest watermelons come from. Really big watermelosn as the record for the largest watermelon is over 260 lb. During the Watermelon Festival, you will find not only large watermelons, but watermelon-eating and seed-spitting contests.

Fayetteville, home to the University of Arkansas, is also an agricultural station and trade center and there are canneries and food processors to explore close by. The first Wal-Mart store opened by Ben Walton wasin Bentonville, in 1962.