Natchitoches Meat Pie

            Some states like Alabama, Alaska, Kansas, or New Jersey don’t have an official state food. Others like Wisconsin and Vermont have one. Louisiana, on the other hand, has five:

1.  Doughnut: the beignet

2.  Jelly: Louisiana sugar cane jelly

3.  Jelly: Mayhew jelly

4.  Cuisine: gumbo

5.  Meat pie: Natchitoches Meat Pie

So to sum up Louisiana has one cuisine, one doughnut, two (!) jellies, and a one official state meat pie. Jellies, beignets, and gumbo are pretty straightforward and easy to understand, but what is a Natchitoches meat pie and why is it the official meat pie of the state of Louisiana?

Natchitoches or New Orleans? 

             Natchitoches is a city of about eighteen thousand people located in central Louisiana. It is the parish seat of Natchitoches parish, which is about the size of Rhode Island. The city sits along the banks of the Cane River Lake, a river that once carried river traffic down to New Orleans, but has since been dammed. The city is known as a tourist attraction due its history and location. Front Street, the city’s main road, bears a striking resemblance to New Orleans. During the Christmas Festival, residents decorate the waterfront along Cane River with thousands of Christmas lights. The Festival includes fireworks, a parade, and other celebrations. There are several former plantations and historic sites that sit just outside the city. The city was also the location for the film, Steel Magnolias. Natchitoches was the oldest permanent settlement by the French in the Louisiana Purchase. Louis Juchereau de St. Denis established a fort and trading post there in 1714. The French wanted to trade with local Indians and keep an eye on the nearby Spanish.

The official state Meat Pie 

            So how then did the meat pie evolve into something famous enough to be named one of the official state foods of Louisiana? Well, the meat pie itself includes ground beef, ground pork, onions, peppers, garlic, wrapped inside of a pie shell. The crescent shaped shell is then fried and can be served on top of other traditional foods like red beans and rice. Despite its status as a French colony, the meat pie borrows from Spanish culinary traditions. It is remarkably similar to an empanada—a Spanish dish that features a pie crust wrapped around a savory filling. The Natchitoches version emerged out of the cultural contact between the French, Spanish, and local Natchitoches Indians. This cultural contact is especially important since early versions of the dish relied on a wheat crust. Wheat, as a crop, does not grow in the wet, hot climate of central Louisiana. Rather it had to be imported from Texas or carried up the river. As a result of this limited supply of wheat, the dish was primarily popular among local elites who could afford it. Due to its unique location and history, the meat pie is only found in Natchitoches.

            Restaurants in downtown Natchitoches all serve meat pies and every September the town hosts a meat pie festival, inviting participants to whip up their own versions of meat pies. So if you ever find yourself in Natchitoches be sure to give the meat pie a try.