Mississippi Delta Tamales Arrive
By Tom Maicon at November 30, 2009 | 4:49 pm | Print
I do like burgers, but haven’t we had enough already? And we need another farm-to-table southern concept like Tiger Woods needs another golf club swatting super model.
I’ve often been asked what inspires me to write about certain restaurants over others. The answer is really quite simple. Uniqueness. After nearly eight years covering the Atlanta restaurant scene, perhaps I’m a little jaded by the norm, or maybe food-fatigue is finally setting in, or, more than likely, a good mixture of the two.
Whatever my issue, I’m a total sucker for those who dare to be different, which leads me to pioneers NaShawndra Jackson-Davis, brother Joshua Knox and husband Lawrence Davis of Sweet Tea’s Catfish & Blues Co. (3691 Floyd Rd., Austell, 678.884.1794) in Austell. I’m sure I speak for Atlanta when I thank the trio for giving us our first taste of the Mississippi delta hot tamale.
What’s a delta tamale? you ask. It’s simple ingredients, really, just add a few spices to pork or beef, cover the seasoned meat over the cornmeal, and then wrap it in corn husk, a sleeve of butcher’s paper, or even a coffee filter will do. Then steam it.
In Mississippi, street vendors wrap them in newspaper and sell them out of lard buckets.
While it’s widely believed the tamale was introduced to Mississippians by migrant Mexican laborers in the early twentieth century, there are a small handful of theorists like NaShawndra Jackson-Davis, who credit the Cherokee Indian for the dish.
“My recipe was passed down from my great grandmother,” Davis explains. “She was full-blooded Cherokee.”
At the restaurant Davis wraps her mildly spicy tamales in parchment paper, and serves them with a soul-soothing, silky rich broth. But with 24-hours notice, she’ll do them up in cornhusks for you, a time-consuming process that takes hours.
No need to fret the Austell address, the restaurant is only 15 minutes due west of Muss & Turner’s on the corner of Floyd Road and the East West Connector.
It’s worth the drive.
Below are more photos for you to enjoy.
Delta tamales at Sweet Tea's
Delta tamales wrapped with cornhusks
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