Maine has their lobsters, Philly has their cheese steaks and Chicago has deep dish pizzas. And what is the perfect Arkansas food? I submit to you the idea that Arkansas’s perfect, iconic food is the humble tomato. The best news is you don’t need to go to a restaurant to consume this perfect food—you can grow it in your yard and slice it up in your kitchen. Now, I know some of y’all may be thinking “But what about catfish, J.B.? What about possum pie and fried chicken and fried pickles and cheese dip and chocolate rolls and…”

To which I say yes. Yes, those are delicious, perfect Arkansas foods, and the tomato deserves a place among them, for these dozen reasons and many more.

1. Because as a kid you spent a lot of time in the garden with a salt shaker.
Flickr/capt_tain Tom
2. Because sliced tomatoes are the perfect summer side dish.
Flickr/jefferyw
3. Because your grandfather taught you how to grow them...
JB Weisenfels
4. ...and you still use your grandmother’s fried green tomato recipe.
Flickr/I Believe I Can Fry
5. Because you can grow them in your yard.
Flickr/Jane Doughnut
6. Because even if your thumb is black or you don’t have a yard, there are metric tons available at the farmer’s market
Flickr/Patrick Beeson

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7. Because there’s nothing like finding the perfect tomato before the birds find it.
Wikipedia/gab997
8. Because fresh salsa is the best salsa.
Flickr/She Paused 4 Thought
9. Because you can't have a BLT without the T and the BLT is the perfect sandwich.
Flickr/James
10. Because the South Arkansas Vine Ripe Pink Tomato is our state fruit AND vegetable.
Wikipedia/fir0002
11. Because canning is a lot of work, and it makes your kitchen hot, but it's also a glorious tradition.
Flickr/Andres Rodriguez
12. Because nothing tastes more like summer than an Arkansas tomato.
Flickr/Rafael Villa

For more iconic Arkansas foods, try these dishes.

If you’re looking for foods you have to try in Arkansas before you die, this list is your dream list.

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