I was
born and raised in the heart of the Deep South. From as
far back as I can remember I remember long summer afternoons
spent drinking iced tea and shelling peas and butterbeans on my
grandmother's porch. I have moved on from my roots and have made
my way into other regions of the world. One thing, however, that
has remained constant in my life is my deep and abiding love for
southern cooking and cuisine.
I was probably well into my teen years before I realized that
tea could be served any other way than loaded with sugar and
over ice. It was about that same time that I realized some folks
would eat vegetables that hadn't been soaked in batter, dredged
in cornmeal, and deep fat fried. Southern cooking is not for the
faint of heart though it can cause many hearts to grow faint.
One thing that can be said is that you'll never find anything
else like it on earth.
People in the south learned to make do with little in many
instances. Some of the poorest people in America live in the
southern part of the country. Of course, you will find that many
of these people despite their poverty are also among the most
generous. The same can be said of food. It's the one thing that
seems to be in ample supply in most southern homes and very few
will turn you away with an empty stomach.
Perhaps it's the seasonings that are often used when cooking
southern food. From the crab boil and gumbo file of Cajun
Cuisine to the secret ingredient that almost every southern
kitchen contains for their fried chicken recipes (and no one on
earth can fry chicken like a born and bred southern grandma).
Perhaps it's the Sunday church dinners where everyone shares a
little of what they have with others or the love that goes into
preparing these meals that are shared with friends and family.
Whatever the case may be, if you ever have the occasion to
experience real southern cooking, do not pass it up. You might
shave a day off your life, but a good southern fried chicken leg
is really living and well worth the sacrifice if you ask me.
Of course it would be remiss to mention southern cooking without
bringing up some of the more delicious desserts that seem to be
perfection for the south. I mentioned banana pudding above but
there are so many more. Pralines are a perfect for those living
down around New Orleans as is bread pudding. A little to the
east there are grandma's who have taken their lemon icebox pie
recipes to the grave with them so coveted were these delicious
deserts and the same holds true for pecan pies as well. We
should never forget the flavorful Mississippi Mud cake though,
and so many other wonderfully delicious treats that southern
cooking has introduced to the world at large.
Favorite vegetables in the heart of the south as I mentioned
above included peas and butterbeans, snap beans, corn, summer
squash (after all, it's summer all year in the south), and okra
(fried or boiled in many southern kitchens). Not all vegetables
were deep fried though few were off limits. I remember eating my
share of fried okra, fried squash, and yes, fried green
tomatoes. Life was good back when calories weren't counted and
no one really worried about clogging arteries. While I wouldn't
make these a daily dish in any household, I certainly would
recommend trying them out if you ever find the opportunity.
Another great thing about southern cooking is the wonderful
fried seafood that seems to abound. From fried fish (almost any
variety works well when it's southern fried) to fried oysters,
seafood just seems to taste so much better in the south. If you
are hoping to learn some of the southern cooking and cuisine you
will most likely need to order your spices and have them shipped
unless your grocery store has a rather extensive 'exotic' foods
selection. You can sometimes find great southern seasonings on
the International food aisles in grocery stores as well. If you
want to really treat your family to an outstanding meal, you
should really try southern cooking for the night.
