From the invention of cheese dip to the perfection of BBQ, Arkansas has add many items to the nation's culinary palatte. Here are 15 examples.

1. Fried Pickles
Devised by Burnell “Fatman” Austin in 1963 at The Duchess Drive-In in Atkins. The town still celebrates its annual Atkins Picklefest.

2. Arkansas food festivals
C elebrate everything from strawberries to peaches, watermelon to pink tomatoes, purple hull peas to crawfish, elk, duck, rice and even cornbread. Ethnic food festivals featuring Greek, Italian, Jewish and Turkish cuisines are also on the schedule.

3. Cheese Dip
Created by Blackie Donnelly, who went to Mexico and came back to stir up this spice-packed yellow concoction at Mexico Chiquito in North Little Rock. It’s been served since the 1940s.

4. War Eagle Mill
Dating back to 1832, the all-organic operation produces cornmeal, oats, flours and a variety of mixes all ground through the use of a gristmill operated by an 18-foot undershot water wheel.

5. Riceland
Arkansas produces far more rice than any other U.S. state. Riceland, based in Stuttgart, is the world’s largest miller and marketer of rice and rice products.

6. Tyson
Springdale's Tyson is one of the world’s largest processors and marketers of chicken, beef and pork, as well as prepared foods such as appetizers and snacks.

7. Muscadines
The state grape is the Cynthiana, but you’ll also find muscadines well represented with jams, jellies and wines.

8. Cavender’s Greek Seasoning
Since 1971, Cavender’s has flavored burgers, steaks, chicken and even popcorn for eaters all over the world.

9. Mountain Valley Water
Mountain Valley Water’s distinctive green bottle with the red or blue label (red for the spring water, blue for the sparkling) has replaced Perrier as the house water of choice at some of the finest restaurants in the world.

10. Yarnell’s Ice Cream
Founded in Searcy in 1932. More than a dozen flavors – including Homemade Strawberry, Death by Chocolate and Ozark Black Walnut – are available in grocery store freezers all over the state.

11. Soybeans
More soybeans are grown in Arkansas than anywhere else in the world. American Vegetable Soybean & Edamame recently opened an edamame plant in Mulberry.

12. Petit Jean Meats
Petit Jean Meats came about in 1926, when Felix Schlosser and Ellis Bentley opened a meat market in Morrilton. The Ruff brothers, who delivered products for the company, took over in the 1950s and have kept this Arkansas manufacturer growing all these years. Petit Jean Meats sells hams, bacon, summer sausages, hot dogs and more.

13. Burge’s Hickory Smoked Turkeys & Hams
This Arkansas instution started in Lewisville more than half a century ago, when Alden Burge went from smoking turkey in his backyard for football games to opening up a little dairyette along Arkansas Highway 29. Today, that restaurant and a second in Little Rock do great business. During the holidays, the restaurant will sell 500 turkeys a day.

14. Grapette & Orangette
These sodas came out of Camden in the 1920s, one of the “Fooks Flavors” sold by Benjamin Tyndle Fooks out of the trunk of his car.

Drink Up!

Credit Arkansas with these remarkable spirits, some of which are consumed nationwide.

Located in the River Valley, Post Familie Vineyards is the largest winery in Arkansas and the first commercial vineyard to produce here. Muscadine wine is their claim to fame.

The state’s largest brewery is (15.) Diamond Bear Brewing Company. The Little Rock operation produces a wide selection of craft beers, including Southern Blonde, Honey Weiss, Pale Ale, Irish Red and Presidential IPA. And for the kids (or kids at heart), there’s Diamond Rock Root Beer.

Fayetteville has a number of microbreweries, including Hog Haus Brewing Company. The Dickson Street establishment produces 20 regular and signature versions, including Curly Tail Ale, Java Porter, Wildschwein Heller Bock and Scout Stout.

Rock Town Distillery is Arkansas’s first legal distillery opened since Prohibition. The Little Rock business offers vodka, gin, rum, bourbon, whiskey and a popular product called Arkansas Lightning.

Vino’s Brewpub is a local pizzeria and distillery with several varieties on tap, including such fanciful-named selections as Shamrock Stout, Razor Bock, Quapaw Quarter Porter and Lazyboy Stout.

The King of Beers

The Ozarks rule when it comes to great local breweries – there are more in this region than anywhere else in the state. In addition to aforementioned Hog Haus Brewing Company, you can find the following breweries in northwest Arkansas:

  • Saddlebock Brewery, Springdale
  • Tanglewood Branch Beer Company, Fayetteville
  • Core Brewing & Distilling Company, Springdale