Vicksburg Tomato Sandwiches

While a silver platter of tiny tomato sandwiches has always been popular at cocktail parties and teas all over the South when summer tomatoes are at their peak, in Mississippi the “Vicksburg Tomato Sandwich” is deemed such a special delicacy that it actually takes on important social significance. There is a right and wrong way to make a Vicksburg tomato sandwich, and here’s the right way in the actual words of one very fastidious hostess:

“You take a small, round cookie cutter and cut rounds of fresh white bread (no trace of crusts). These you spread liberally with real mayonnaise. Then you slice very thinly a perfectly ripened tomato (not refrigerated and with the skin removed) the exact same size as the rounds of bread, and carefully drain the slices between paper towels so they don’t get runny and make the sandwich soggy. Place a slice of tomato evenly on each round of bread, salt and pepper the slices to taste, and, if you feel like being a little creative, you might add a pinch of minced garlic or, if you’re very daring, even a sprinkling of curry powder. Serve the sandwiches on a polished silver plate.”