A FOOD TRADITION

Southern cuisine

Southern cuisine encompasses the foodways of the American Southeast outside the more specifically Louisiana-focused Creole and Cajun traditions. It draws on Indigenous, West African, European, and Caribbean influences, with staples such as cornmeal, rice, beans, greens, pork, chicken, and seafood. Characteristic techniques include smoking, braising, frying, pickling, preserving, and slow simmering. The tradition varies substantially between inland, upland, and coastal areas. Representative examples include fried chicken, biscuits with sawmill gravy, and collard greens with pork. African American soul food and Lowcountry or Gullah Geechee cooking are related but have distinct cultural histories and deserve separate consideration.

Catalogue preview Cuisine connections may be unreviewed. Regional comparisons include their food references and do not establish the ingredients of a particular meal.