Tuesday, 31 May, 2011 9:57
by Chris Jay
Six year-old Woo-Hoo Whoopie Pie fan Waylon Carter enjoys a mighty large snack - maybe we should cut that into quarters for Waylon?
With the highly-anticipated opening of the 2011 Shreveport Farmers’ Market right around the corner (7 a.m.-12 p.m., Saturday, June 4), we thought we’d make today’s food post about a local snack tradition that grew out of the farmers’ market.
Becky Abner’s Woo-Hoo Whoopie Pies are fresh-baked chocolate cake sandwiches filled with homemade butter cream filling. “Whoopies” sell for $3 each (or 2 for $5 at the farmers’ market) and come in original, double chocolate, peanut butter, strawberry, and coconut crème flavors. Abner, who brought these traditional snacks from Maine to Louisiana when she moved here 13 years ago, says the pies are best enjoyed “with a glass of ice cold milk and a stack of napkins.” We recommend the delicious peanut butter flavor or the original butter cream.
“Whoopies date back to the 1920’s, and originated in Maine,” Abner said. “There’s really no comparison to any traditional southern snack – people ask if they’re like Moon Pies, but they’re completely different.”
The Shreveport Farmers’ Market will be held 7 a.m.-12 p.m. every Saturday, June 4-September 3 and 3 p.m.-6 p.m. every Tuesday, June 7-July 19. Items available for purchase range from fresh produce and locally-sourced meat and seafood to bonsai trees, art and more. All markets are held at Festival Plaza in downtown Shreveport.
Lagniappe
"Like" the Shreveport Farmers' Market on facebook.
View a Youtube video of the 2009 market.