10 Southern Dishes Everyone Knows and 10 Underrated Ones To Try
Southern Food Is So Much More Than KFC
We all have a certain association with Southern cuisine and it usually entails foods dripping in greasy lard. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but there are so many more lesser-known dishes to discover. Cooking in this part of the world has been informed by the area's rich cultural heritage, influenced by its unique history and terroir. Here are 10 Southern dishes you're bound to know and ten awesome ones you've probably never heard of.
Photo by Luis Santoyo on Unsplash
1. Fried Chicken
Perhaps the food most commonly associated with the South (thanks, KFC) is fried chicken. Let's not kid ourselves, when it's good it's good. Crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside.
2. Brisket
Although its routes are actually European Jewish, brisket has become a staple of Southern cuisine. Particularly in Texas, this slow-cooked hunk of meat reigns supreme.
3. Cornbread
Corn grows in abundance in the South so it's no surprise the indigenous people used it to make bread. The dish has evolved into what it is today: a subtly sweet and savory side dish that's tantalizing when served warm and smeared with butter.
4. Peach Cobbler
States like Georgia are synonymous with peaches. Cobbler puts the fruit center stage, accompanied by a buttermilk biscuit-like topping. It's often served with a glob of ice cream or whipped cream.
5. Pecan Pie
Pecans are native to the American South where they thrive in the Fall season. Mixed into a custard of corn syrup, brown sugar, and eggs and baked in a pie shell, this is one of the most quintessential Southern desserts you can ask for.
6. Pulled Pork Sandwich
Pulled pork was invented in the American South. It's a hunk of slow cooked pork that gets so soft and tender that you can pull the meat away with your fingers. Squashed between two halves of a bun and you have a born and bred Southern dish.
7. Biscuits and Gravy
Biscuits and gravy is one of the most simple and inexpensive dishes to make. This meal was developed to feed laborers working at a lumber mill in the Southern Appalachians but it's still good even if you haven't labored for it.
8. Chicken-Fried Steak
Chicken-fried steak is tenderized meat that's been breaded and fried not unlike the Austrian schnitzel. It was likely developed as a way to make cheap cuts of meat more appealing. Given its enduring popularity, it's safe to say it achieved that goal.
Kevin from Oklahoma, USA on Wikimedia
9. Ribs
Another barbecue dish that always hits the spot. Ribs are slow cooked to have a perfect fall-off-the-bone consistency. They're usually served smothered in that signature sweet and salty Southern barbecue sauce.
Alexandru-Bogdan Ghita on Unsplash
10. Gumbo
Gumbo is the official state dish of Louisiana. It's an extremely comforting stew made from a dark, flavorful stock, meat, and shellfish. Everyone who's spent any time in Louisiana has to be familiar with it.
Now that we've gone over some of the Southern dished you surely know, let's talk about the ones you probably only know if your from the South.
1. Peanuts in Coke
Peanuts in coke is exactly how it sounds. It was likely created as a snack for blue-collar workers so they could keep a hand free to continue working. It's a combination of sweet and savory that just works if you don't mind the texture of the softened peanuts.
Leighann Blackwood on Unsplash
2. Okra and Tomatoes
You may not associate Southern food with vegetables. However, this region of the US grows plenty of veggies and has marvellous vegetarian dishes to match. Okra, a green vegetable with a grassy flavor, is simmered in a pan with tomatoes to create this flavorful side dish.
3. Chess Pie
Chess pie is not unlike the Quebecois sugar pie or Christina Tosi's crack pie in that it's essentially a pie filled with sugar and butter. It also has a little cornmeal and a squeeze of lemon to break the sweetness.
Kimberly Vardeman on Wikimedia
4. Hot Brown
If you're in Kentucky but don't want to eat more fried chicken, try the aptly named hot brown sandwich. Invented at the Brown Hotel in Kentucky in the 1920s, it's a hot open-faced sandwich with turkey breast and bacon smothered in Mornay sauce.
5. Tomato Gravy
This gravy is perfect to make in the summer when there are too many perfectly ripe tomatoes than you know what to do with. It's tomatoes cooked together with bacon drippings and thickened with flour. Serve it on top of some buttermilk biscuits for a delicious twist on an original classic.
6. Pineapple Casserole
This one might sound a little funky, but don't knock it til you try it! Pineapple chunks, cheddar cheese, and crackers are the main ingredients of this Southern cookout staple.
7. Crawfish Étouffée
Crawfish étouffée is a good reminder that the American South was once a French colony. It's meaty crawfish cooked in a roux with Cajun seasoning, typically served over rice. It's the perfect culinary symbol of the cultural crossroads that exist in this region.
8. Hoppin' John
This Southern classic is traditionally eaten on New Years' Day. The dish which is rice, cooked with ham hock, and cowpeas is high in nutrition and in flavor.
9. Livermush
This dish is a good indication of the amount of pork produced the South. It's many different parts of a pig cooked with cornmeal and spices. It's a breakfast and lunch food typical in North Carolina.
10. Polk Salad
This salad is made from pokeweed, a perennial green that grows in the South. It's poisonous to eat pokeweed raw so it must be cooked thoroughly. Once cooked, the leaves are added to a pan with bacon dripping and onions and served with cornbread for a delicious uniquely Southern meal.
KEEP ON READING
