Went to Greenwood on Saturday, Greenwood Mississippi… doesn’t that sound like the beginning of a blues song?
I was surely not singing the blues, though, as my first stop was the new Mockingbird Bakery, a lovely spot with cases full of sweet stuff… this pic above is schnecken and below is banana pudding! Master baker Martha Foose does it old-school style with the very best ingredients. Already, she’s famous for her strawberry cake and incredible molassas gingersnaps.
The bread kicks you know what! I came home with five loaves… (as much as I could stuff in the freezer…) It’s bread with substance, not pumped up with air… you can taste the rich character of the carefully tended sourdough mother. The crust is crunchy, but not too crunchy. It comes very close to a true French baguette.
I had an excellent piece of pecan pie… the crust was out of this world!! Tender, flaky, complex flavors… so beyond the typical flour and fat combo. Got into a big discussion about whether it’s pee-con or pee-can? What do you say?
More on eating adventures on the Delta in an upcoming travel piece in The Commercial Appeal.
Let's eat
Responses to “A sweet trip to Greenwood, Miss.”
December 12th, 2005 at 12:22 pm
As a lifelong Memphian born to parents from McNairy County (Selmer & Adamsville, respectively), we pronounce it “pe-kahn” with the emphasis on the second syllable. But, I’ve heard it pronounced numerous ways by many southerners.
December 12th, 2005 at 2:04 pm
I agree. It is unusual to hear pEE-can around here. Sort of like New Or-lEEns.
December 12th, 2005 at 4:14 pm
Please tell me that you had a slice of chocolate pie from the Crystal Grill. If you didn’t, get back in your car and go straight back to Greenwood. Your article will be incomplete without it.
December 12th, 2005 at 4:21 pm
That banana pudding looks pretty pricey ($3.50). The best banana pudding I’ve ever had, other than homemade, is at Handy Andy in Oxford. Price: 92 cents. You can’t beat that.
December 12th, 2005 at 5:20 pm
My favorite way someone described the pee-can/pe kahn debate was on a Bobby Flay episode one time. He was somewhere in Mississippi and he said pee-can. The lady looked straight at him, and said, “Honey, a pee-can is what you keep under the bed, a pe-kahn is what is in this pie.” I have used that line numerous times since then.
December 14th, 2005 at 1:16 pm
Student of Food TV that I am, it still grates on my nerves to hear Paula Deen & Rachael Ray saying “PEE-can.” Emeril says PEE-cans are for truck drivers, pe-CAHNS are for baking.
Now…how am I going to get the tongue prints off my computer screen?! That schnecken looks DIVINE! Any time you decide you want to go back there, I’m available to go along 
I saw The Crystal Restaurant on Turner South’s “Blue Ribbon” & the pies indeed looked wonderful, but I’ve never been there.
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