Cheese Dip and Arkansas History

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There’s a dish you’ll find at every kind of restaurant in Little Rock, from the pizza places to the burger joints: cheese dip. How did it become so beloved in Arkansas? And what does it reveal about the state’s past—and present? In this episode of Gravy, Dana Bialek and I investigate this story of highways, demographic changes, and a food’s shifting identity over time.
You can find Kat Robinson’s website—and her write-up of last fall’s 5th Annual World Cheese Dip Championship—here.

Here’re some of the restaurants we visited in Little Rock, in order of appearance in the episode:
Mexico Chiquito, Trio’s Restaurant, Lost 40 Brewing (one of Scott McGeehee’s Yellow Rocket Concepts restaurants), and Fonda Mexican Cuisine and Tequila Bar.

Arkansas’ Tourism Bureau has conveniently put together a “Cheese Dip Trail,” which you can find here. LINK

And, of course, a passionate Arkansan (named Nick Rogers) made a film about cheese dip, called In Queso Fever.

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