Tennessee lawmakers want to make Nashville hot chicken a state food
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
State lawmakers from Nashville want to add their hometown's hot chicken to the growing list of Tennessee state foods.
Why it matters: Nashville hot chicken is the city's top culinary export, a must-visit for tourists and a shining example of Black entrepreneurship.
State of plate: State lawmakers voted last year to make Cleveland, Tennessee's, hot slaw and Memphis barbecue state foods.
Driving the fumes: State Rep. Caleb Hemmer (D-Nashville) tells Axios he was surprised to learn hot chicken wasn't already the state food last year when the legislature honored hot slaw.
- "So we're just adding that to help celebrate our unique culinary contribution and our city's entrepreneurial spirit. It's really important because it's preserving our cultural heritage and celebrating a very authentic Tennessee tradition."
- Another piece of legislation would declare Nashville the state's hot chicken capital.
Flashback: Black-owned restaurants Prince's and Bolton's put Nashville hot chicken on the map.
- Hattie B's has proliferated the spicy spin on fried chicken by opening restaurants outside of Tennessee.
Zoom out: State Sen. Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville) tells Axios hot chicken deserves the honor for boosting tourism and for making its way onto menus as far away as California.
- "It's only fitting that we honor its roots by recognizing hot chicken as the official state food and pay homage to Prince's Hot Chicken — the Black-owned business that originated the recipe right here in Nashville," she says.
- In this time of political division, Hemmer says it's refreshing to pitch a plan that seems to have popular support. "We get into so many caustic fisticuffs around here. It's nice to have things that bring us together and can honor some of the great things we are doing right," Hemmer says.
Yes, but: Although they're proud to honor Nashville's most famous dish, Oliver and Hemmer say they go light on the heat when they order hot chicken. They prefer mild spice.
- "I want to taste my chicken!" Oliver says.
Go deeper: Learn about how hot slaw became a Tennessee state food even though many people hadn't heard of it.