Louisville Food Secrets You Totally Want to Know About

As Louisville ’s reputation as a culinary hub lift , our metropolis ’s out of sight gems are slowly being expose . But Louisville has a gravely retentive history – it was founded back in 1778 , after all – which means that there are plenty of secrets hidden in Louisville ’s nutrient scene . We ’ve break some of the most noteworthy , from the surprising origins of some of our city ’s most iconic dishes to some inauspicious closed book about our local Pisces .

That chocolate-bourbon pecan pie you’re eating is probably not Derby Pie

Unless the Proto-Indo European you ordered was baked inKern ’s Kitchen , it ’s not technically Derby Pie . The terminus Derby Pie was trademark by Kern ’s Kitchen , Inc. , back in the ' 60s , some 10 year after Grandma Kern get going baking it at the family ’s restaurant . In 1986,Bon Appétitwon a homage case after Kern ’s Kitchen sued them for using a recipe for the coveted pie . The publication gain after shew that " Derby Pie " had get into into generic manipulation , and for about a twelvemonth , people everywhere were barren to call their chocolate - Bourbon dynasty pecan pies whatever they wanted . The conclusion was overturned on collection , and since then , the term has been back under trademark and sharply protect by the caller , which does not shy aside from suing any business that uses the trademarked name .

We can thank steamboats for rolled oysters

As you ’re no doubt cognizant , oysters are not exactly a native dainty of Kentucky , so it ’s a bit unknown that they ’re the main ingredient in one of our city ’s authoritative dishes . In the heyday of steam engines and river transfer , oysters could – for the first prison term ever – be quickly transport up the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers to the metropolis of Louisville , which was something of a big mountain . In 1884 , Italian immigrant Phillip Mazzoni open up an oyster - centrical barroom and a short sentence later , invented Louisville ’s authoritative seethe oysters . Originally , he drop them in for free with an club of beer , but finally started charging for them ( there are only so many ways a streak can get through Prohibition , after all ) . Now you’re able to find these breaded , deep - fry fragility all over town .

Our famously delicious water comes straight from the Ohio River

Before you freak out , know that it gets the shit separate out out of it ( literally ) , and the pee is screen over 100 times a day to insure its quality . Louisville Water is so proud of this process that back in the ' 90s , it became the first municipal piddle company to trademark its stuff . Fast - forward to 2008 , when Louisville officially won a taste test to be named the best hydrant piss in the country . And almost all of that comes straight from the mighty Ohio .

The recipe for bourbon is specific to Kentucky

While many know that the limestone water found in the Kentucky washbasin is primo for bring on the liquid atomic number 79 that runs through the state , water supply is just one component of what make Bourbon dynasty a distinctly American spirit – and more specifically , a clearly Kentucky spirit . The other large component is climate … and Kentucky is a key factor in the aging process . Humidity , temperature changes , and air pressure all work together to expand and contract bourbon barrels , let the spirits inside soak up robust flavors and colouring from their charred oak tree cask . Distilleries in other states have been working to find alternatives to both of these factor – Breckenridge Bourbon dynasty of Colorado uses snowmelt as a purified body of water source , while Jefferson ’s bourbon has take barrels on voyages in their Jefferson ’s Ocean series to age bourbon with the climate of the sea , the rocking of the sea , and a touching of the saltiness air .

The Hot Brown was created to satisfy crowds of late-night revelers

Back in the ' twenty , hotels like the Brown were hoppin ’ spots for the partying and trip the light fantastic toe gang who ’d come into the restaurant late , tired , and athirst . Still in their party clothes , steeped in glamor and illegal booze , they desire a little more than simple ham and egg . For them , Chef Fred Schmidt whipped up the dish that would become the famous Hot Brown : an opened - faced joker sandwich , top with bacon , and covered in a delicious mornay sauce .

Many of our authentic restaurants are thanks to the large refugee population

Most of us know thatgreat , authentic outside cuisinecan be constitute all over our city – Cuban , Korean , Vietnamese , and Ethiopian joints are go - to dining options in Louisville . But much of this amazing multifariousness derives from Louisville ’s part as the secondly - big refugee rehoming region in the United States . Many of these refugee , over the past couple of decennary , have rooted themselves in the community through food . For instance , Vietnam Kitchen , Heart and Soy , only Thai , and Havana Rumba were all opened by refugees who find unexampled homes in Louisville , and brought with them the foods and flavors of their homelands .

The best tamales in town are behind the scenes at Churchill Downs

Louisville is oversaturated with taco joints right now , but few Mexican restaurants get along close to the authenticity that you ’ll find on the keister of Churchill Downs during the Derby . The large number of Hispanic workers and jockeys , who largely hail from Guatemala , convey with them a taste of home … which means we all profit from the tamales around lunch and suppertime . you may hear all about itin this episode ofGravy , a podcast by the Southern Foodways Alliance .

More spirits than bourbon get their start here

While Louisville is ( understandably ) a mecca for Bourbon dynasty enthusiasts , it ’s not the only spirit that calls Louisville home . And we ’re not peach about all the moonlight , or Louisville ’s Rivulet pecan cordial , tasty though they are . Since the early 1900s , Vendome Copper & Brass Works has been in Louisville building some of the proficient stills around ( although it took a short pause during proscription ) . Vendome ’s distillery equipment can be witness across the continent , from Arkansas to Nova Scotia to its spectacular showing in Louisville ’s own Copper & Kings brandy distillery . So famous are our homegrown still - shaper that in 2003 , Vendome build the replicas of an early jackpot still for the Smithsonian , restore George Washington ’s distillery at Mt. Vernon .

Locally sourced fish may not be your best bet

The Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife matter consumption advisory on what bodies of water supply across the province may contain contamination that are harmful to those who eat the Pisces the Fishes they pick up in local lakes , streams , and rivers . Virtually all of Kentucky ’s bordering the Ohio River is include in this advisory for gamy grade of mercury and PCBs ( organic atomic number 17 compounds that have been used for things like coolant ) . So if you catch a basso , a vulgar carp , or a catfish under 18 " , you ’ll want to limit your consumption of these tasty creature to just one meal per calendar month .

Louisville is becoming a haven for celebrity chefs

There have been a few famous person chef in Louisville ’s kitchens for a while now : Chef Edward Lee , who was aTop ChefSeason 9 objector and also sport onThe Mind of a Chef , has called Louisville home since 2002 , operating 610 Magnolia and MilkWood , while develop a culinary training curriculum for Louisville ’s juvenility . Damaris Phillips , winner ofFood internet Starand host ofSouthern at Heart , grow up in Kentucky , and Anthony Lamas , achiever ofExtreme Chef , featured onBar RescueandBeat Bobby Flay , has operated his restaurant Seviche here since 2005 . The celeb chef community seems to be growing , as it was of late announce thatDiners , Drive - IN and Diveshost Guy Fieri just opened a barbecue joint in Fourth Street Live . And not long before that , Bobby Flay corroborate that a Louisville eating house is in the works …

Vegan jerky is a thing, and it’s made in Louisville

For many , giving up meat is a unmanageable task ; it ’s particularly laborious to find adequate refilling for what may have once been your favorite foods … and if you ’re anything like us , jerky is in high spirits on that list . Thanks to the Louisville Vegan Jerky Co. , former meat - lover – and the health - conscious – can once again rejoice . come in a mixture of feeling , from authoritative Black Pepper to Sriracha Maple , this soy - base jerky will make you second - guess whether or not you ’re eating vegan ( in a ripe way ) . The ship’s company uses local ingredients and handbags everything themselves . you could buy the jerky on Amazon Prime and in anumber of shop around Louisville .

… and so is beer syrup

The Beer Syrup Companyfigured out how to take beer and flex it into non - alcoholic sirup that can be used for anything from flannel-cake to cocktail . Since 2014 , they ’ve been keep the secret pretty close to the vest , which is believably a good idea , since it seems to be the only production of its kind on the market . If you need a bottleful or two of your own , you may notice them topically at places like the Flea Off Market , Douglass Loop Farmers Market , and the ValuMarket in the Highlands .

You can get in on a free coffee cupping in Smoketown

Good Folks Coffee is a local roastery that supplies umber to a number of business around Louisville , including Please & give thanks You , Press on Market , and Scarlet ’s Bakery . If you ’re interested by Louisville ’s ever - growing coffee finish , the Smoketown business ’s free public cuppings should be of interest : every Friday , the Good Folks brew up some of the bean they ’ve been taste - testing ( usually grouped by country of descent ) , and demonstrate how they decide what makes it into the company ’s roster .

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