Impossible choices: Jazz Fest eats

The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, and last weekend’s opener was characteristically satisfying—except for the part about deciding what to eat. There’s only so much room in the average belly, particularly one trying to stay nimble enough to get a groove on. This spectacular event is as much about native cuisine as it is about world-renowned music, with booths featuring more than 120 regional dishes—and not a funnel cake among ‘em.

In fact, Jazz Fest expressly prohibits prosaic festival fare, offering up samples of Louisiana’s indigenous culinary heritage instead. The overwhelming landscape includes crawfish-stuffed beggar’s purses, oyster patties, cochon de lait po-boys Vietnamese egg rolls, gator on a stick, the hangover-curing soup yaka mein, crawfish bread, Roman candy, the heat-defying mango freeze and way more. Imagine the effect on those Louisiana first-timers.

Coveted booths are manned by a select group of regional caterers and restaurateurs who prepare the same signature items year after year. It’s a stalwart tradition that inspires returning regulars to seek out personal favorites. Here’s mine. Tell us about your Jazz Fest food rituals. What is it that you can’t stand to miss when the chow comes marching in?