Meat Pies Along the Cane River

If you have ever seen the 1989 film Steel Magnolias starring Julia Roberts and Sally Field, you have already been introduced to the quaint and welcoming town of Natchitoches, Louisiana. My first memories of this enchanting hamlet conjure up scenes of famous meat pies and giant oak trees. As a small child, my mother and I accompanied my grandfather to Natchitoches for the NSU homecoming celebration. Homecoming was my grandfather’s favorite time of the year, having been a Demon football captain in the 30s and fittingly nicknamed “Bama” due to his having hitchhiked from north Alabama to Natchitoches in order to accept a football scholarship.

Prior to the ballgame homecoming Saturday, we attended an elaborate garden party hosted by one of my grandfather’s classmates. As our car pulled up to the sizable antebellum house surrounded by enormous oak and pecan trees, I was in complete awe as I gawked at what is often considered the epitome of Southern culture. I remember the crunch of pecan shells under my patent shoes as I walked along the sidewalk toward the house. Guests were gussied up in their finest attire, Bloody Marys in hand, as attendants wound their way through the crowd carrying linen-lined baskets filled with savory meat pies. Unfortunately, having been so young, I do not remember much else about the party. However, being one of my first introductions to Louisiana culture, I am confident that it will remain in my memories for years to come.

After the soiree in Natchitoches, I remember my mother trying her hand at making meat pies from scratch. Over the years she recreated this Louisiana delicacy many times, most often during the summer months. I can still see her using a dinner fork to crimp the edges of the little pastries. She and I would sit at the kitchen table with a large plate of meat pies between us, a bowl of mustard sitting close by for dipping.

I now live in Shreveport, Louisiana and look forward to the day trips that my own family occasionally takes to Natchitoches. Front Street, resembling a calmer version of New Orleans’ French Quarter, boasts a wide variety of specialty shops and restaurants. I usually park my car alongside the sidewalk in front of the Book Messenger, a little nook that comes complete with local books and fluffy felines that tend the cash register and take afternoon siestas in the front display windows. Next door is the gift shop Les Saisons that carries a wide variety of chocolates and pecan pralines. As for local fare, my husband and I frequently visit The Landing to feast on blackened alligator smothered in hollandaise sauce. However, you can’t go wrong with the sandwiches at Papa’s Bar & Grill and the meat pies at the acclaimed Lasyone’s Meat Pie Kitchen & Restaurant.

Natchitoches has quite a few characteristics that make it stand out from most Southern small towns. It’s most notable claim to fame is its being hallmarked as the oldest settlement in the Louisiana Purchase. An abundance of Creole plantations, houses on the National Register of Historic Places, and museums dedicated to Native American and French culture make Natchitoches an exciting place to visit and a comfortable place to call home. And if this weren’t enough, thousands of twinkling lights and fireworks illuminate the sky during the annual Festival of Lights in December. Got a craving for meat pies? Visit the Meat Pie Festival September 16-17, 2011 and get your fix of crawfish, fried alligator on a stick, and those scrumptious meat pies.

For more information on the city of Natchitoches, Louisiana and its many attractions, visit www.historicnatchitoches.com. To get the official Natchitoches Meat Pie Recipe and history, as well as learn more about the Meat Pie Festival, visit www.meatpiefestival.com.

This article was originally published in the 2008 Louisiana Road Trips Magazine.