Excuse Us, But What's A Mississippi Slugburger?

Around here at Food Republic, we know that nothing gets the tummy rumbling like talking about slugs ... wait, that can't be right. Let's try that again. If you ever find yourself perusing a North Mississippi menu and the words "slug" and "burger" leap out at you, don't lose your lunch — it's not what you think.

Much like Mississippi mud pie — whose name also evokes something a little questionable — the unsavory title of the slugburger distracts from the fact that this is a dish very much worth trying. Mississippi slugburgers are simply hamburgers with a little extra (non-mollusc) filling thrown in to help stretch the budget. They're then deep-fried and topped with mustard, pickles, and onions.

A brainchild of the Great Depression, this creation hails from the city of Corinth, near the Tennessee border. While the exact specifications of the dish's history remain unclear, it is generally accepted that a Chicago transplant named John Weeks created the original slugburger around 1917. In fact, the original name for them was the Weeksburger. He added flour and potato flakes to the ground meat in order to stretch his provisions and sell more burgers, which he did for a nickel — or, as it was called in the parlance of the time, a slug.

One of the defining features of a slugburger is the patty size. The patties are kept thin so that the traditionally lard-fried exterior is crunchy while the inside remains soft and juicy. That said, the added ingredients create a denser, slightly grainier mouthfeel than is typical in a burger, so the texture may take a little getting used to. Potato flakes have fallen out of fashion for modern slugburgers, which are often made with soy grits instead. It's also more common for them to be fried in vegetable oil rather than pork lard.

Despite those changes — and the fact that they no longer cost the eponymous slug — the culture of slugburgers remains alive and well. Mississippi culinary tradition is something the state takes great pride in, from Mississippi Chicken's take on a pot roast to Natchez, Mississippi's boast of being the Biscuit Capital of the World. This pride is exemplified by the presence of Corinth's annual Slugburger Festival, an event that has been ongoing since 1983 and includes the Miss Slugburger Pageant, and has featured artists like "American Idol" winner Trent Harmon and Widespread Panic's George McConnell.

Many restaurants in the area still serve the famous burger. While the Weeks' Diner, owned and operated by John Weeks' descendant Willie Weeks, has closed, institutions like Latham's Hamburger Inn, which was founded in 1928, are still around and happy to serve you one of Mississippi's most iconically named dishes.