Kat Robinson - What We Eat in Arkansas

What does Arkansas taste like? In What We Eat in Arkansas, Little Rock-based food historian and author Kat Robinson gathers 50 recipes that tell the story of the Natural State—from Arkansas originals like cheese dip and fried pickles to chocolate gravy, Delta-style tamales, possum pie, peach cobbler, and old-fashioned dishes passed through generations of Arkansas kitchens.

Compact, approachable, and packed with distinctly Arkansas food, this little cookbook is equal parts recipe collection and edible history lesson.

Whether you're an Arkansan wanting to recreate something you grew up eating, a curious cook exploring Southern foodways, or a visitor looking for a taste of the Natural State to take home, this is a fun place to start.

Why We Love It

• Written by Little Rock-based Arkansas food historian Kat Robinson

• Features 50 recipes from Arkansas food traditions

• Includes famous Arkansas originals alongside old-fashioned regional dishes

• Explores the stories and techniques behind Arkansas foods

• Compact 6" x 9" format

• Just 50 pages—small, approachable & giftable

• Great Arkansas souvenir or stocking stuffer

• Fun gift for home cooks, food-history fans & Arkansas transplants

• Published in 2026 in celebration of America's 250th birthday

50 Ways to Taste Arkansas

Arkansas food is a mix of cultures, landscapes, family traditions, ingenuity, and ingredients—and this little cookbook covers an impressive amount of territory.

Learn how to make favorites such as:

• Arkansas cheese dip

• Fried pickles

• Chocolate gravy

• Possum pie

• Arkansas Delta-style tamales

• Fried catfish

• Black-eyed pea salad

• Peach cobbler

• Squirrel & dumplings

• Apple butter

• Muscadine jelly

• Green tomato relish

• Poke sallat

• And plenty more from Arkansas kitchens

More Than a Collection of Recipes

Kat doesn't simply tell you what to cook.

What We Eat in Arkansas explores some of the techniques and regional distinctions that make these dishes part of Arkansas food culture.

Discover what separates Arkansas Delta-style tamales from Mexican and Mississippi varieties. Learn about preparing traditional greens, getting the right crust on cornbread, working with chicken livers and gizzards, making old-fashioned condiments, and whisking together a proper batch of chocolate gravy.

It's a compact introduction to the foods Arkansans have cooked, shared, and gathered around for decades.

Meet the Author

Kat Robinson is a Little Rock-based food historian, travel writer, and enthusiastic Arkansas road warrior who has traveled through all 75 counties of the Natural State documenting its food, restaurants, people, and culinary traditions.

Her books explore everything from Arkansas pie and barbecue to classic restaurants and the dishes every Arkansan should try. Her years of research have made her one of the state's most prolific chroniclers of Arkansas foodways.

For Kat, food isn't simply about what's on the plate. It's a way to understand the places, communities, and people that make Arkansas what it is.

Small Book, Big Taste of Arkansas

At 6" x 9" and just 50 pages, What We Eat in Arkansas was intentionally created as an affordable, approachable little cookbook.

That also makes it especially easy to gift.

Pair it with another Arkansas-made food, tuck it into a welcome-to-Arkansas basket, send it to someone who's moved away, or keep a copy in your own kitchen and see how many Natural State classics you can make.

Book Details

Title: What We Eat in Arkansas
Author: Kat Robinson
Recipes: 50
Pages: 50
Size: 6" x 9"
Release Date: June 30, 2026

Fifty recipes, one little book, and a delicious reminder that there's a whole lot more to Arkansas food than most people realize.