Southern Cooking

Cajun, Creole, Tex-Mex, Soul, and Carolina low country cooking all fall under the umbrella of southern cooking. While these sub groups are indeed a part of southern cooking, the moniker itself, conjures up an image of good hearty food, cooked and savored slowly. Classic southern cooking uses fewer processed food and is more labor intensive than its northern counterpart. There is a certain sophistication and beauty in simple and wholesome foods and this is embodied in the cuisine of the South.

History

The history of this cuisine is rich with influences from native and African Americans as well as a melting pot of European contributions. Native Americans taught the newcomers to make use of available produce like beans, peas, squash, greens, onions, nuts and berries. With the arrival of immigrants came an increase in livestock. Pork was brought over by the Spanish in the sixteenth century and has been a meat mainstay along with chicken ever since. They also planted and harvested yams, peanuts, black-eyed peas, tomatoes, melons, tea, potatoes, and cabbage. African slaves introduced cooking styles from their homeland and were the primary manipulators over southern kitchens. Some recipes arose from the need to feed a growing family. Cooks used what was on hand such as vegetables grown in their own gardens and less expensive cuts of meat to stretch both the meal and the budget. The typical southern meal doesn’t call for fancy or hard-to-find ingredients and embellishments are few.

Methods

Frying, braising, grilling, baking and roasting are the predominate cooking methods. Long, slow cooking is the norm rather than the exception. True southern do not skimp on butter or cream, making Southern cooking fat laden. Vegetables are cooked over low heat for long periods and traditionally include some type of meat (salt pork, or bacon) as an additional seasoning and by some standards this makes them void of all nutritional value.

It is possible to revise the tried and true recipes of the South to make them healthier, however some feel doing so deprives the diner of the authenticity of the dish. Others feel it is better to allow yourself a small indulgence every so often.

Southern Staples

Wrap your taste buds around some of these southern delicacies: cornbread, biscuits, fried chicken, fried catfish, smothered potatoes, beans and rice, okra and tomatoes, and dressing are all popular entrees. Finish a good southern meal with pound cake, peach cobbler, sweet potato pie, or caramel cake. Wash it all down with an icy cold glass of sweet tea or lemonade. Some other mainstays of this type of food include:

• Grits - Small broken grains of corn ground to a certain texture. Grits are added to a pot of boiling water, then cooked over medium to low heat and stirred occasionally. Some cooks add in butter, cheese, eggs or small bits of meat.
• Greens - Collard, mustard, and turnips. Greens are boiled and seasoned with bacon or salt pork.
• Lard - Pork fat used for frying and baking. Makes flakier crusts, provides more flavor and crispier texture in fried foods. Keep refrigerated as it turns rancid quickly.
• Praline - The debate rages on as to whether this confection is pronounced “pray leen”, or “praw leen”. Either way this cooked candy is a combination of butter, white and brown sugar, cream, light corn syrup and of course pecans.
• Country Ham - A dry cured ham rubbed with salt, dried and then smoked. Varieties include Virginia and Smithfield.

Southern cooking is a labor of love. The time taken to choose and prepare the freshest ingredients makes the dish more enjoyable no matter what section of the planet you inhabit. Turn the phone off, put the skillet on the fire, boil a pot of water, and crank up the oven. You and the ones you love are in for a treat when you decide to lay out a southern spread.