Soul Food cuisine - Page two - By Howard Hillman

Soul Food

page 2

Soul Food Cuisine
compared to
Southern Cuisine

How they differ

The first is a subset of the second.

Both were substantially inspired by inventive Black slave woman cooks.

Some critical differences: Soul Food is more assertively seasoned, simpler in technique, and relies on more basic, less expensive cooking ingredients.

A sampling of
dishes shared
by both cuisines

The preparations listed below are mainstays on the Soul Food Cuisine table. They are also part of the overall Southern Cuisine repertoire. Click the "Southern" button on the left for brief insights on them:

Barbecued Ribs
Biscuits
Chicken-Fried Steak
Cornbread
Country Ham
Fried Catfish
Fried Green Tomatoes
Game Meat
Grits
Pies and Cobblers
Southern Fried Chicken

More Soul Food
cuisine insights

Name

Soul Food goes back centuries, but didn't receive its "Soul Food" appellation until the 1960s.

How it began

Soul Food was born of hard times. Slaves received the culinary undesirables from their masters, who reserved the choice portions of the animals and vegetables for themselves. The slaves had to make do with animal parts like pig's feet, jowls, ears, and intestines - and vegetable parts like the fibrous green tops of turnips.

Nutrition

The vegetable-dominated diet of the slaves was often a healthier one than that of their oft-sedentary masters. The latter typically ate meals high in fat, sugar and calories. Slaves also consumed substantial calories, but they worked them off performing their strenuous, long-hour jobs.