NEW INTERVIEW: SOLLY'S HOT TAMALES

Solly's Hot Tamales has been a Vicksburg tradition since 1939. Henry Solly, a native of Cuba, developed a recipe and began selling hot tamales from a pushcart. Eventually, his tamales got so popular that he retired the cart and opened a storefront. Solly made tamales at 1921 Washington Street until his death in 1992. Before he died, he offered his business to his friend, May Belle Hampton. May Belle and her daughter, Jewel, continued the tradition. Today, Jewel and her daughter, Dina, still make tamales according to Solly's recipe. Read Jewel McCain's oral history interview here.

NEW INTERVIEW: PASQUALE'S HOT TAMALES

While just outside the boundaries of our Tamale Trail, Pasquale's Hot Tamales is an important part of the Mississippi Delta's history with hot tamales. Located across the Mississippi River in West Helena, Arkansas, Pasquale's Hot Tamales has been in business for three generations. Owned by the St. Columbia family, their Sicilian heritage is direct link to the history and tradition of hot tamales being peddled along the river's edge. Read the oral history interview with Joe St. Columbia here.

NEW "BEYOND THE BOUNDS" LISTINGS

Click on our interactive map or visit the Beyond the Bounds section to view recent additions to our list of tamale locations mapped outside of the Delta in the Missisippi towns of Corinth, Jackson, D'Iberville, and Lumberton.

New locations will be added regularly, so please check back often. If you know of a location you'd like to share, please contact Amy Evans. We'd be happy to post your photograph and the location's contact information as part of the Tamale Trail.

CIA & VIKING RANGE ON THE TAMALE TRAIL

In early June the Culinary Institute of America and Viking Range Corporation hosted a culinary tour of the Mississippi Delta. Part of this week-long trip included a guided tour of the Mississippi Delta Hot Tamale Trail.

We began our tour in Cleveland, where we visited Delta Fast Food and sampled some of Mr. Rainey's red hots. In Rosedale, we visited with Barbara Pope and Susie Irving at Joe's Hot Tamale Place. There was a short stop at Big Jim's in Clarksdale, where the group sampled tamales and Koolickles (Kool-Aid spiked dill pickles). We ended the day in Clarksdale at the Shack-Up Inn, where Betty Hicks of Hicks' World Famous Hot Tamales & More in Clarksdale gave the group a short tamale how-to. Ann Cashion, chef instructor for the culinary tour, worked alongside Betty, making a different kind of tamale to illustrate the uniqueness of the Delta-style tamale. Ann made a traditional masa dough, used a catfish fillet for the filling, and then steamed the tamales. Everyone--especially Betty and Ann--enjoyed the sharing of stories and tamale-making methods.

The picture above is of Ann Cashion describing her masa dough (foreground) as Betty Hicks listens.

PRESS FOR THE TAMALE TRAIL & TOUR

Delta Magazine:
May/June 2006 issue, pp. 122 & 123.

Denver Post:
http://www.denverpost.com/food/ci_3773946

NPR:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5357500

Memphis Flyer:
http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/Content?oid=oid%3A15153

EATING & LEARNING ON THE TAMALE TRAIL

Those who joined us for April 22nd's Tamale Trail Tour got to experience a fantastic tamale-filled day in the Mississippi Delta. About twenty-five folks, who came from as far as Colorado and Maryland, hopped on a bus in Oxford and traveled through Clarksdale, Rosedale, and Cleveland, eating and learning along the way. Amy Evans, chief architect of the Tamale Trail, led the tour, giving some context to what the group would be experiencing on the trip.

Our first stop was at Hicks World Famous Hot Tamales and More in Clarksdale. Mrs. Betty Hicks gave a short tamale clinic and took the group on a tour of her unique tamale-making facility. From there, the group sampled fried hot tamales at Ground Zero, while enjoying live music on Delta Avenue, which was part of Clarksdale's third annual Juke Joint Festival.

In the early afternoon we traveled to Rosedale, a small Delta town perched along the Mississippi River. There, we visited with Barbara Pope and Susie Irving at Joe's Hot Tamale Place, a.k.a. The White Front Cafe. Ms. Pope spoke to the group about her late brother, Joe Pope's, love of hot tamales, his loyal customers, and just a hint of what goes into these popular bundles of meat and masa.

In Cleveland, we visited Airport Grocery, where the tamales are made according to Joe Pope's recipe. Even so, the tamales are quite different. Evidently, Joe didn't give away all of his secrets. After our last taste of tamales, the group enjoyed some of Airport Grocery's homemade chocolate and lemon pie--the perfect ending to a day filled with lots of spice.

When asked what they learned on the Tamale Trail Tour, here's what a few participants had to say:

"[I learned] that their production is, in fact, a labor of love and a culinary craft. That, taken with its seeming oddity and unexplained presence in the Delta, is so quirkily and solidly Southern. And tasty. The tamales I ate this weekend were different in form and flavor than those I've had before."

"That there are distinct variations between what is served in the delta and what is served in the southwest."

"They're good. They are very time consuming to make and the makers are certainly dedicated. We hope this tradition doesn't fade away."

"I thought the trip was very well planned and conducted. Right down to the Tums - they were a life saver 1:00 a.m. Sunday morning. Thanks for a really enjoyable day."

The true success of the tour was evidenced by the fact that everyone in the group ate all of the hot tamales that they were given to sample, and then they bought more! Given the initial popularity of this event, we sincerely hope to make the Tamale Trail Tour an annual event, with different itineraries planned for each year. Keep checking back here for news and updates. Until then, thanks to all of the folks who came on the inaugural Tamale Trail Tour to experience the tradition and culture of hot tamales in the Mississippi Delta and the stories behind the food.

TAMALE TRAIL TOUR!

TOUR DATE: APRIL 22, 2006

The Mississippi Delta Hot Tamale Trail offers cultural tourists a complete guide to a unique culinary experience, and we want you to join us. Head to the Mississippi Delta, which has been called "the most Southern place on earth" for its unique history, music, culture, and yes, its food. The Tamale Trail Tour will make stops in Clarksdale, Cleveland, and Rosedale. We'll visit with a handful of vendors in each locale. We will talk about the history of hot tamales in the area, get some lessons in making hot tamales, and, of course, eat some hot tamales.

Tour guide for this event will be Amy Evans, the oral historian for the Southern Foodways Alliance and chief architect of the Tamale Trail. Food & Wine named Amy one of the "top 35 under 35" to watch, and her interviews with Doe's Eat Place in Greenville recently won the Elbert R. Hilliard Oral History Award. The Hilliard award was established last year by the Mississippi Historical Society to recognize outstanding work in oral history, and is named for the retired head of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History for his diligent support of the medium.

This Tamale Trek is sponsored by the Southern Foodways Alliance and the Office of Outreach at the University of Mississippi. Registration cost is $75 per person. The fee includes bus transportation, presentations and, of course, tamales.

To register, please visit http://www.outreach.olemiss.edu/events/tamale_trail/ or email Mary Beth Lasseter, marybeth@olemiss.edu

ANNUAL TAMALE CONTEST CANCELLED

World Championship Hot Tamale Contest organizer, Frank Carlton, has announced the end of the annual competition. From his letter to former contestants:

For twelve years I have sponsored a Hot Tamale Contest because I figured that this unique delicacy deserved public recognition. During this time, by your participation, you have assisted in this endeavor.

Frankly, I had hoped that last year would be a breakout year and that the contest would generate enough support that it could, in the near future, be partially self-sustaining. Such was not the case. You're probably aware that the local paper didn't even bother to print the results.

Since that time I have struggled with the decision to try one more time or not. Or not wins out. It is with real regret that I take this means of informing you that I'm not going to sponsor another Hot Tamale Championship. I really should take the money and buy each of you a large trophy because you are all winners. I appreciate your participation and support and wish you well.

Best personal regards,

Frank

The competition was to happen in Greenville in late July. While we cannot revive this year's contest, the Southern Foodways Alliance hopes to find a similar way to celebrate the tradition of tamale making in the Mississippi Delta, bringing tamale makers and vendors together for an exciting event. We will post announcements about any future plans right here, so keep checking back.