Cooking TipsFlavors Of Southern Cuisine - 3 Dishes That Add Soul to Food
As a person who was born and brought up in the Deep South, I remember spending most of the hot summer evenings of my childhood engaged in activities such as downing tall glasses of iced tea, and sitting on my grandmother"s porch and shelling butterbeans and peas.
It was only when I was in my teens that I realized that there were many ways of serving tea. Serving it loaded with sugar or on top of ice was not the only way. I also realized that many people eat vegetables that are not soaked with batter, rolled in cornmeal, and fried deep in oil.
Although I have now left the South and found my way to other places of the world, I have always cherished in my memory the taste of southern cuisine and retained in my heart a deep and everlasting love for it.
In the south, people have learned to adjust with few things. This is because there is more poverty in the south than in any other part of America. In spite of their poverty, the people of the south have a generosity of spirit, which reflects in their cuisine. Food is available in abundance in most houses in the south, and few southeners will send a guest away hungry.
1) Southern Taste
Southern food must be getting its distinct flavor due to the seasoning that goes into it. It could also be due to that secret ingredient that every southern kitchen has for fried chicken. In no part of the world can anyone fry chicken like the authentic southern grandmother, who was born and brought up in the South.
The taste of southern cuisine could also be attributed to the fact that the church dinners on Sunday comprise the culinary contributions of many generous souls. Or perhaps it could be because of the love that went into the preparation of large meals to be shared with family and friends.
2) Southern Desserts
My article on southern cuisine would be incomplete if I don"t mention the delicious desserts of the south. Banana pudding is just a small part of it. Pralines, like bread pudding, is a hot favorite among those living in North Orleans. Several grandmothers who lived toward the east have taken the recipes for their famous lemon icebox pie to their graves, and the pecan pies have suffered a similar fate. So greatly envied were these recipes! The flavor of the Mississippi Mud cake is unforgettable and is worthy of a mention. These are just a few of the many delicious desserts that southern cuisine has contributed to the world.
3) Southern Vegetables and Seafood
Peas, snap beans, summer squash, okra, and butter beans are the favorite vegetables of the south. Not all were deep fried. I remember eating fried okra, fried green tomatoes, and fried squash too. Life was good when you did not have to bother about counting calories or worry about clogged arteries. Though these cannot be prepared daily in any modern kitchen, they are worth trying if ever you find an opportunity.
Another wonderful feature of southern cuisine is the fried seafood. Seafood tastes great in the south, from any variety of fried fish to fried oysters.
A chance of tasting southern cooking simply should not be missed. You might have to sacrifice a day in order to do it, but the taste of a leg of chicken, fried southern style, is really worthy of your sacrifice. You will not find anything like southern cuisine in any other part of the world. It is not for those with a weak heart; however, it can make the heart weaker.
If you are planning to learn southern cuisine, you will have to order the spices and get them shipped to you, unless the regular groceries has an "exotic" foods section. Sometimes, you can find spices for southern seasoning in the "International Food" section in grocery stores. Try cooking a southern meal at night if you would like to treat your loved ones to something really good.