Sunday, 04 July 2010
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What's Your Favorite Southern Staple?
I'm not from the south, but sometimes I wish I was because of all the good food that comes from down there. Ribs, brisket, fried chicken, collard greens, jambalaya, mmm all of it is so good! I wish I could go down south for a month and live, breathe, and eat like a typical southerner. It's a lot different in the south and it seems like an atmosphere that I would and could happily take in.
If I'm out to eat at a barbecue joint or a place that just serves good ol' southern food, I expect there to be cornbread. Cornbread is one of my favorite foods of all time. It can be dangerous when it's around because I can't stop staring and thinking about the sweet and savory crumbles that enlighten my taste buds.
Cornbread, how I love thee. I could seriously live off of this stuff, of course only the good kind. A good cornbread to me has to have a little bit of sweetness and the right amount of moisture. I've been disappointed several times by overly dry cornbread with no flavor at all. Surprisingly enough I have never attempted making my own. Anyone have any good recipes to suggest?
I've only recently realized how good collard greens are and I would love to make up some of my own. I also love, love, love mac & cheese and corn fritters. I've only had corn fritters from one place, but they amaze me every time! And, they are served with maple syrup, how much better can it get? I'm just going to have to plan an end of summer barbecue party so I can share all of these amazing dishes with my friends.
If I were to get my wish of living in the south for a month, you bet your ass I would inhale as much cornbread as possible. Okay maybe I would come back 10lbs heavier, but in my book it would be worth it!
What's your favorite southern style food?
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About the Author
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- From: Stephanie
- Name: Stephanie
- About Me: I'm a huge foodie who loves to run and stay fit! I love movies and have a BA degree in Film Production. I specialize in effects make up and hope to have my own online company one day. Losing weight and becoming a runner has changed my life and I never would've imagined myself where I am today. I recently moved to NYC for work and have discovered myself even more. I love it here and the best part about it is the food! I just got engaged to my boyfriend of 6 years and I can not wait to start planning my wedding. : )
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Comments (60)
Biscuits. And collard greens. And barbeque. Mmmm.
i agree with cornbread (must have!), mac n cheese and collard greens... but i have to add chitterlings (aka chitlins!)
I live in the south, and I love the food here. Some of my favorites are grits, cornbread, and collard greens. New Years' dinner and family gatherings are the best times of the year because there is so much southern food!
grits I could NOT live the rest of my life without grits!!!! love cheese grits and buttered plain grits
Collards. Mmmm.....
And I love corn bread with my collards, but it can't be sweet at all. And it MUST be made with fresh, stone ground meal. If you use something you get at the supermarket it just won't be the same. I don't have a recipe right now, but it would be something simple that you cook in a cast iron skillet in the oven, and would involve LARD and fresh cornmeal.
Also hoppin john (which is a South Carolina staple), a dish made of black eyed peas, some onion and green pepper, bacon fat, and rice. Yum! (Has its roots in West Africa, as many Southern foods do.)
Black-eyed peas were how many Southerners survived when the Union soldiers burned up all of our crops.
collard greens, corn bread, sweet potato fries, catfish, okra... the list goes on and on! I freaking LOVE southern food. Good thing in Chicago we have The Dixie Kitchen!!!!!!!
Okra and stewed tomatoes, black eyed peas, Georgia BBQ, peach cobbler, and grits. A world without grits is no world for me.
I love fried pickles. People think they're gross, but they're really not. The one my great grandmother makes are amazing. She put them in a pressure cooker for a short amount of time, and mixes cayene pepper in the batter. It's more addicting than Herion. It's sweet, and spicy, and sour, and salty, and tangy. My mom makes these killer Chicken and dumplings. And, the only tea I will ever drink is my mom's iced tea. She calls it her house whine of the south.
@shes_lump@xanga - You need to head to Memphis and visit Dires. It's famous. Really.
Some people really do not consider Florida part of the South, especially not South Florida where I live. But we do enjoy southern foods here. My favorites are:cornbread, peach cobbler, fried macaroni n cheese and of course bbq. I dont really like the real deep south food, like collard green, ugh, and fried pickles, i'll have to pass.
Don't forget to have homemade iced tea with your meal
I am the same way with my cornbread!! Mmm mm! I also love mac & cheese as well, though I tend to spice mine up with various herbs and other things when I make it. ;) Collard greens are delicious AND healthy, as long as you don't cook it in bacon grease...just water. Biscuits and gravy are a guilty breakfast-food pleasure of mine, and fried chicken is another of my weak spots. Oh, and I recently discovered fried pickles, which are lovely.
I pass on the sugary iced tea because, well, it's just too sickeningly sweet for me. :P I'm of the English/Oriental school when it comes to tea...leaves over bags anytime. ;)
One more thing - as I am from Texas, which is more Southwest than "South", a specialty food is, well, chicken-fried anything! Mostly chicken-fried steak, though. MMMM. With lots of gravy on top.
I lived in North Carolina till I was 8. I'd have to say my favorite staples were and still are grits and fried okra. I don't get them much in Ohio though, at least not the real kind.
I'm definitely a Northerner, but also wish I could live down in the South for a month! I haven't tried all the foods, but I've tried corn bread and jambalaya. I'm not sure how authentic they were though...and that's why I want to go down to the South :) I am dying to try some gumbo.
I'm from the north but mmmmmmmm, I want some ribs right now
Corn dog; generally I love southern food. I used to live in GA and when I first time came up north I hated I can't have my greasy food and can't easily find those unlimited buffet place any longer :(
I think most packages of corn meal have recipes for cornbread. You might try looking there for starters.
mmmm did I see mac and cheese?!
any type of barbecue, cornbread, corn pudding, ham....
I live in Virginia and I can tell you that ham isn't universal here even though Smithfield is allegedly famous for it.I suspect it's the same with other southern states' staples.
Black-eyed peas, fried okra, bbq, and yes - cornbread. =]
Mac-and-cheese is a Southern thing? I had no idea!
I haven't been further North than North Carolina though (with the exception of Wyoming for a week for skiing, Alaska for a week, and Washington State for a day on the way back from Alaska). While I've been to NC, I mostly haven't been North of Oklahoma though, haha!
Anyway, I LOOOVE cornbread too! And barbeque (steak & brisket...mmm). Honestly, I had no idea most of these were "southern".
And, since I didn't know what collared greens were (I mean, I've heard of them, but never really knew exactly what they were), I looked them up and found out I eat those too and like them quite much. Not sure how I didn't know that... LOL.
SWEET TEA! :)
Country ham. Vinegar-based barbecue. (That sweet, thick barbecue sauce everywhere else is disgusting.) Sweet tea is gross, too.
I love BBQ meats, fried chicken, texas toast, and LOVE mac n cheese!! not a fan of cornbread though
Macaroni and cheese, hands down. Period. (Love of my life, lol)