The Natchitoches Meat Pie — A State Pastry

A crescent-shaped, deep-fried hand pie stuffed with seasoned ground beef and pork — the Natchitoches meat pie is one of Louisiana's official state foods. The recipe descends from the Spanish empanada, adapted through three centuries of Creole cooking along the Cane River. Lasyone's Meat Pie Restaurant, open since 1967 on Second Street, is the institution — six days a week of meat pies, gumbo, and dirty rice in a setting that hasn't changed much since the Johnson administration. The annual Natchitoches Meat Pie Festival in September is a free, two-day celebration with eating contests, live music, brewfest, and balloon rides on Front Street.