I was born and raised in the heart of Deep South. I have always remembered the long summer evenings drinking cold tea and peas and beans on my grandmother's balcony. I have left my roots and have gone to other regions of the world. One thing, however, that has not changed in my life is my deep and lasting love of southern cooking and food.
I was about twelve years old before I realized that tea could be served in any other way without loading sugar and ice. It was about this time that I noticed that some people were going to eat vegetables that had not been soaked in batter, ground into flour, and fried in deep fat. Southern cooking is not for the faint of heart though it can cause many hearts to become weak. One thing to say is that you will never find anything like it in the world.
Southerners have learned to do less in most cases. Some of the poorest people in America live in the southern part of the country. Yes, you will find that many of these people, despite their poverty, are also very generous. The same can be said of food. It is one that seems to be available enough in most southern homes and very few will turn you on an empty stomach.
Probably the most commonly used spice in southern cuisine. From crab abscess and gumbo file of Cajun Cuisine to the secret ingredient almost all southern kitchens have their own fried chicken recipes (and no one in the world can fry chicken like a southern and born southern grandmother). Maybe a Sunday dinner where everyone shares a little of what they have with others or the love that comes with preparing these meals for friends and family. Either way, if you have ever had the opportunity to experience real southern cuisine, don’t give up. You may be deprived of a certain day in your life, but the southern fried chicken leg is alive and well worth sacrificing if you ask me.
It would certainly be a mistake to suggest a southern dish without producing some delicious desserts that seem perfect in the south. I mentioned the banana desserts above but they are too many. Pralines are just as good for those living near New Orleans as are bread pudding. A little farther east there are granny who have taken their recipes for the icebox pie and took it to the grave with great desire for these delicious deserts and the same as the pecan pie. We should never forget the delicious Mississippi Mud cake, and the many other delicacies brought to southern cuisine around the world.
Favorite vegetables in the southern heart as I mentioned above included peas and beans, snap beans, corn, summer squash (after all it is summer all year south), and okra (fried or boiled in most southern kitchens). Not all vegetables are deep-fried even though there are few restrictions. I remember eating my portion of fried okra, fried squash, yes, and green fried tomatoes. Life was good back then when calories were not calculated and no one was really worried about clogging the arteries. While I would not make this a daily meal in any city, I would recommend that you try it if you get the chance.
Another great thing about southern cooking is the amazing fried seafood that seems to be common. From fried fish (almost any species works best when fried south) to fried oyster, seafood seems to taste best in the south. If you hope to learn some recipes and southern foods you will probably need to order your own spices and export them unless your grocery store has a wide selection of 'unusual' foods. Sometimes you can find southern seasonings in overseas food aisles at grocery stores. If you want to treat your family with a special meal, you should really try cooking southern at night.
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