While the south is well known for its big plantations, easy lifestyles, and the prevalent southern drawls, the fact is that most southerners were poor farmers that made do in the kitchen with what they could grow or find readily available in nature. As there was little wheat grown in the South, they grew corn instead. As a result, cornbread and corn-on-the-cob have long since been traditional southern side dishes. The Southern Appalachian region, for instance, is best known for their cornbread fixings and pinto beans. These less fortunate southerners learned how to use an assortment of wild or cultivated plants and game in their cooking. Native Americans also played a big part in southern cooking. For centuries, they planted and harvested corn, pumpkins, squash, beans and sassafras.
Early African-Americans introduced several of the plants, such as black-eyed peas, okra, and watermelons, from which many prized southern dishes are derived. In many affluent households, they were in fact the family cook. Black-eyed peas are now an immensely popular southern dish and are traditionally eaten on New Year’s Day to bring good luck. Okra is served fried, boiled, mixed with other vegetables, or in soups and gumbos. However, the favorite of most southerners is fried okra. Southerners grow and consume vast quantities of watermelons and even participate in watermelon seed-spitting contests. Cajun fare is popular in the south as well and prevalent in southern Louisiana. Cajun cooking is usually rich, with spices and includes the highly sought after dishes like jambalaya, seafood gumbo, alligator sausage, Ya Ya Chicken, Coush Coush Acadian and bread pudding.
The South has always been big on a hearty breakfast. In fact, if you have ever visited anyone down here for any length of time, it’s safe to say that a big breakfast was waiting for you every morning. And please do not offend the cook by refusing to eat, in the South, this is not an option. There’s nothing more southern for breakfast than biscuits and gravy (my favorite). These large, flaky, melt-in-your-mouth biscuits are smothered in rich, creamy sausage gravy and served hot. Breakfast may also consist of bacon and sausage, eggs, country-fried potatoes and ham, buttered grits, and black coffee.
I’m sure everyone is familiar with the array of fruit pies and jams here in the South. These range from apple, peach, blueberry, and cherry to blackberry, strawberry, and muscadine. Muscadines, for those unaware, are a type of wild grape used to make jellies, jams, preserves, and wine. Not to be cast aside are pecans. Pecans have been in cultivation since the 1700s and tend to grow best in a Southern climate. Distinctly Southern dishes using pecans include pecan pie and pecan pralines. Toasted pecans are also served as a topping for a variety of dishes. The sweet potato is an important food staple in the South and is eaten baked, candied, in pies, casseroles, and other dishes. Fried green tomatoes seem to be uniquely Southern and very popular. Many people have developed special batters for their fried green tomatoes. Catfish is a common southern dish. They flourish in the fresh water streams and lakes of the Gulf Coast. In the South, nearly all fish is served with hush puppies, which are prepared with none other than corn meal. Hush puppies were originally fried in the oil that was used to cook the fish. And according to legend, these were used as treats for the family dogs to ‘hush’ them as they would mooch while dinner was served. Turnips may be grown throughout the world for their tubers, but here in the South, they are grown for their leaves. They are by far the favorite greens dish of the South. Sauerkraut is quite common down south but most likely to be popular in places where there is a German influence, a popular dish being ‘kraut and weenies.’
While southern cooking may not be for the faint of heart, due to its heavy seasonings, or for those counting calories, due to the excessive use of fried dishes, southern cooking is like no other, being as distinct and varied as the region from which it originated.