Moon Pie
From Krystal sliders to Rendezvous ribs, the Deep South is full of culinary traditions. But perhaps the greatest Southern contribution to our gastronomic enjoyment is in the form of the tasty treat: the Moon Pie. Around World War I, marshmallow crème, a New England staple, began being sold in other parts of the country. A couple of years later, coal miners outside of Chattanooga, Tenn., began dipping their graham crackers in the fluff. After selling an ever increasing number of graham crackers to the miners, Earl Mitchell Sr., a salesman for Chattanooga Bakery, decided to combine the two ingredients into a pie. He layered graham crackers with the marshmallow fluff and the name was born when his grandson commented that the indentations where bubbles had popped looked like the moon. Today, the pies come in chocolate, vanilla and banana, and are such a Southern staple that since 2008, Mobile, Ala., has dropped a 12-ft. mechanical moon pie to ring in the New Year.