What are traditional southern dishes?

A traditional Southern meal may include pan-fried chicken, field peas (such as black-eyed peas), greens (such as collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, or poke sallet), mashed potatoes, cornbread or corn pone, sweet tea, and dessert—typically a pie (sweet potato, chess, shoofly, pecan, and peach are the most ...

What is a Southern comfort food?

Southern comfort food has its roots in rural Southern kitchens from decades past. With modest incomes, Southern families took humble ingredients like vegetables, grains, beans, and whatever meats were on hand and slow-cooked them low and slow into rich, satisfying meals .

What did Southern slaves eat?

Research indicates that most slaves, whether, house or field, lived in shabby, meager accommodations with dirt floors and received weekly food rations from their owners of “ corn meal, lard, salt fish, some meat (pigs' intestines and skin), molasses, peas, greens, and flour .” Some owners allowed their slaves to harvest ...

Is Southern food white or black?

Southern food encompasses the cultural identity of three races: African, Native American, and White . Throughout the years from the beginning of the Americas to present day, Southern food has taken the influences from these races and evolved around them.

What food is the Southwest known for?

Characteristics. The staple ingredients of Southwestern cuisine are corn, squash and beans . Called the "three sisters", they have been staples of North-American agriculture since ancient times. Beans are served whole or refried, and both styles can be used as filling for tostadas, tacos, burritos and similar dishes.

31 Southern Recipes Everyone on Earth Should Make (2024)

food

By Katherine Gillen

•

Published Jun 22, 2023

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What do mac and cheese, fried chicken and cornbread have in common? They’re all ridiculously delicious comfort foods our friends from the South have pretty much perfected. Here, we’ve rounded up the best Southern recipes on the planet for your enjoyment. All that’s left for you to do? Whip up a big pitcher of sweet tea (or better yet, watermelon sweet tea) and enjoy.

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Robert S. Cooper/A Real Southern Cook

1. Sprightly Biscuits

Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes

The secret to light and fluffy biscuits isn’t butter or buttermilk (although both help). It’s actually a can of lemon-lime soda, which yields the fluffiest-ever results.

Get the recipe

Robert S. Cooper/A Real Southern Cook

2. Buttermilk-Battered Pan-Fried Fish Fillets

Time Commitment: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, high protein

Frying fish at home sounds daunting, until you realize you can do it on the stove with a cast iron skillet (and not a ton of oil, at that). Try it once and you’ll be a pro.

Get the recipe

Robert S. Cooper/A Real Southern Cook

3. Blackberry-Raspberry Skillet Cobbler

Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly

Southerners are experts at crafting simple-yet-satisfying desserts that feed a whole host of people. This lightly sweet cobbler fits the bill, and it’s ready in all of 30 minutes.

Get the recipe

Katherine Gillen

4. Hummingbird Cupcakes with Pineapple ‘Flowers’

Time Commitment: 4 hours
Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser

Hummingbird cake—a lightly spicedbanana-pineappletreat—is considered aSouthernclassic, but it’s actually a version of the Jamaican “Doctor Bird Cake” (named after the island’s national bird) introduced to the U.S. sometime in the ’60s. The more you know!

Get the recipe

JOHN “EDGE” KOLADISH/ED MITCHELL’S BARBEQUE

5. Watermelon Sweet Tea

Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, <30 minutes, <10 ingredients

There’s no better way to wash down barbecue than with this make-ahead beverage, which is sweetened with plenty of fresh summer fruit.

Get the recipe

Butter Be Ready

6. Southern Fried Green Tomatoes

Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: <30 minutes, vegetarian, beginner-friendly

FYI, green tomatoes are just unripe regular tomatoes. The only thing that’s better than battering them until crisp is dipping them in remoulade (or turning them into an OTT sandwich).

Get the recipe

Grandbaby Cakes

7. Southern Hush Puppies

Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why We Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, <30 minutes

They’re like sweet, fried morsels of cornbread…and we have no complaints about that. They come together quickly and disappear even faster, especially when served with honey butter.

Senior Food Editor

Katherine Gillenis PureWow’s senior food editor. She’s a writer, recipe developer and food stylist with a degree in culinary arts and professional experience in New York City...

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31 Southern Recipes Everyone on Earth Should Make (2024)

Senior Food Editor

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