Missouri is a center stage of culinary and cultural traditions, when the barbecue culture and the Civil Rights Movement come together as one.
Segregation laws in the late 19th and early 20th centuries forced Black citizens to build businesses in second-rate areas.
However, many entrepreneurial Black Missourians rose above the challenges to carve out their own thriving centers of commerce.
In Kansas City’s historic 18th and Vine District, one famous example is Arthur Bryant’s Barbecue where visitors and locals alike continue to enjoy the delicious tradition that started so long ago.
Arthur Bryant, known as the “King of Ribs”, has gone down in barbecue history as one of the greatest in the trade. He took over the business from his brother, and moved it near Municipal Stadium, which was the home of the Kansas City Blues baseball team and, later, the first home of the Kansas City Chiefs.
With the hungry sports fans gravitating to his restaurant, it soon became a local favorite. Arthur Bryant’s also started the city’s « burnt ends » tradition, when workers would cut off the charred, crispy ends of smoked brisket and give them to waiting diners for free.
Eventually, demand rose so high that it became a permanent menu item not only at Arthur Bryant’s, but across the city.
Contact: B World Communication, Travel South USA Representative in France, Yohann Robert, Email: yohann@bworldcom.com
