Whatever the true history, tamale production throughout the Mississippi Delta remains high. Whose is best is hotly contested, but in the spirit of the other trails the Southern Foodways Alliance, headquartered in Oxford, Miss., cobbled together a trail of its own for the gastronomically curious — the Hot Tamale Trail. Traveling its route proves that no two tamales are the same. (Doe’s Eat Place in Greenville, Reno’s Cafe in Greenwood and the White Front Cafe in Rosedale are a few other classic tamale joints worth checking out.)

Image “Mile High” coconut meringue pie, a signature item at the Crystal Grill in Greenwood, Miss. Credit... Robert Rausch for The New York Times

Forty minutes south of Clarksdale sits Cleveland, and the Senator’s Place, a soul food restaurant that offers plate lunches and a simple cafeteria-like décor. Opened in 2003 by Willie Simmons, a Democratic state senator who has represented his district since 1993, the restaurant pays homage to Senator Simmons’ mother who fed 11 children on the recipes Senator Simmons’ kitchen staff now use. While there I gorged myself on a plate of smothered chicken, candied yams, collard greens with ham and neck bones.

“We eat practically every [neck bone] they send down South as well as the ones that are here because neck bones is kind of a special meal,” Senator Simmons told me, “especially when you can find the ones that we have that are meaty. When you season it properly, some folks say it becomes a delicacy.”

Neck bones come from the pig and were long considered a throwaway piece of the animal. The intrepid people of the Delta didn’t let that food go to waste and have always boldly cooked a cut many dismissed as inedible. It is considered a staple of soul food cooking and has recently gained popularity — an analogous reclamation to the more mainstream fandom surrounding pork belly.

“It used to be a cheap item, but the more demand you have for it, like anything else, the more the price tends to go up,” Senator Simmons said. “We’re seeing the cost of neck bones increase over the years, but it continues to be one of the items people love to eat.”