Soul food

Soul food describes food traditionally eaten by African Americans of the Southern United States. Being poor, only the cheaper, less desirable ingredients were affordable; offcuts of meat, offal, catfish, chickens they raised, and only certain vegetables.

Dishes or ingredients common in soul food include:

• black-eyed peas
• catfish (normally fried with cornbread breading)
• chicken (often fried chicken with cornbread breading)
• chitterlings
• collard greens.
• cornbreads.
• ham hocks
• yams (often candied)

Soul food restaurants are mostly located in the South, but can also be found in major cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles. With the exception of chitterlings, which are characteristic of African American cookery, soul food could apply to white Southern cookery as well.

See also

• Cuisine
• Cuisine of the United States