By road, the most direct route through the United States’ southern states from Kansas City, Missouri to New Orleans, Louisiana is a little more than 1300 kilometres. Travelling mostly on interstate highways and allowing minimal rest stops, you could cover the distance quite comfortably in a couple of days.
However, that would mean missing the opportunity to experience the real South: its incredible warmth and diversity and, perhaps most importantly, its mouthwatering cuisine. Take the slower route and you’ll get so much more than a road trip – you’ll have a VIP pass to the flavours and traditions that make this destination one of North America’s most fascinating, friendly and fun places to explore.
Start your journey in Kansas City, Missouri, which is renowned as one of America’s great barbecue capitals. We’re talking mouthwatering, tender cuts of meat, lovingly basted with the city’s signature thick, sweet, tomato-based sauce and then smoked for hours over hickory wood until it’s crispy and caramelised on the outside, succulent and juicy on the inside.
Hungry yet? Not to worry – you can work up an appetite exploring the city’s historic highlights, from the Spanish-inspired outdoor streetscapes of Country Club Plaza to the fascinating and often moving exhibits at the National WWI Museum and Memorial. It costs a little extra to climb the museum’s 66-metre Liberty Tower, but the views from the top make it well worth the effort.
Ready to feast? Head for one of the city’s most iconic BBQ joints, such as Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que or Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque. The names may be modest, but the food is anything but – smoked brisket sandwiches that are best enjoyed with generous sides of coleslaw and onion rings.
From Kansas City, you’ll want to head east as far as St Louis, where you cross paths with the iconic Route 66. Treat yourself to a quick stop to sample the city’s famous St Louis-cut ribs, and then turn south until you roll into Memphis, Tennessee, where the food scene is all about pork barbecue, especially ribs and pulled pork.
Unlike Kansas City’s sweeter, sauce-heavy style, Memphis barbecue is typically dry-rubbed with spices before being smoked low and slow over hickory wood. Head down to Beale Street for a feast of ribs or pulled pork sandwiches topped with coleslaw. Add a smoked sausage on the side, and you’ll be all set to soak up the atmosphere at one of Beale Street’s other main drawcard: its live blues clubs.
Continuing south, you’ll enter the Mississippi Delta: a region where food, music and history are all infused with African, Indigenous, French and Spanish influences. The abundance of fresh seafood and fertile farmland has resulted in a culinary style that is hearty, richly flavoured, and deeply rooted in local ingredients.
If southern cuisine has you thinking of comfort foods like fried chicken, cornbread and black-eyed peas, you’ll find plenty to enjoy as you follow the river through smaller cities like Tunica, Cleveland and Yazoo. Farm-raised catfish is a firm local favourite that you’ll find on menus everywhere, usually coated in seasoned cornmeal and fried until golden, then served with hush puppies, coleslaw and hand-cut fries.
Be sure to try the Delta version of a tamale. Smaller and softer than their Mexican counterparts, these pockets of spicy ground meat are wrapped in a cornmeal dough, then enclosed in corn husks to be gently simmered in a chilli-infused broth – delicious!
You could continue due south to New Orleans, but no Southern foodie road trip would be complete without a side quest to the city of Birmingham: culinary capital of Alabama. From elegant fine-dining restaurants to vibrant food halls, you could eat your way through the aptly nicknamed ‘Dining Table of the South,’ sampling homestyle favourites like grilled chicken slathered in Alabama’s famous white barbecue sauce.
You’ll then have the perfect excuse to check out the Gulf Coast culinary scene, where fresh seafood reigns supreme. You can feast on sauteed crab claws dripping with garlic butter, shucked oysters straight from the ocean, and crispy battered shrimp po’boys slathered in a tangy, remoulade sauce.
You may have reached the endpoint of your culinary journey, but New Orleans is, for many foodies, the main course. Food is central to this vibrant city’s identity, so you can expect it to infuse every moment of your visit.
Start your day with beignets (doughnuts) and café au lait at the Café du Monde, which has been fuelling visitors and locals alike since 1862. Lunch should be a hefty muffuletta sandwich, and dinner can be built around local Creole and Cajun specialities like gumbo, blackened catfish and turtle soup. If you have a sweet tooth, you’re sure to love bread pudding with bourbon sauce and Bananas Foster.
New Orleans is also famous for its frozen daiquiris, which you can sample in a variety of creative flavours while soaking up the atmosphere of the French Quarter. Louisiana’s unique liquor legislation means it is even possible to enjoy these tasty cocktails on the go (as long as you’re not drinking and driving), thanks to drive-through daiquiri stands that are a local institution.
Born on Avery Island, Louisiana in 1868, Tabasco is more than just a hot sauce, it’s a piece of culinary history. Created by Edmund McIlhenny using just three simple ingredients: tabasco peppers and salt and vinegar. The recipe has remained virtually unchanged for over 150 years.
Still family-owned and produced in its original home, each bottle carries a legacy of craftsmanship, with peppers aged in oak barrels for up to three years. Today, Tabasco is a global pantry staple, adding its signature tang and heat to dishes all over the world.
If you want the full Tabasco experience, visit the Tabasco Factory and Museum on Avery Island – where it all began.
From the smoky BBQ pits of Kansas City to the spice-filled kitchens of New Orleans, a food-inspired Southern road trip is not to be missed if you love experiencing a destination through its cuisine.
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