The South is known for rich comfort food, hospitality and warm character. These are some tasty vittles that have made their way up the entire country, but are still considered Southern classics.
1) Black-eyed Peas
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Flickr: nep
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The famous dish known as Hoppin John features these traditional Southern legumes, which are usually simmered with bacon or ham hocks and mixed with white rice. Watch for these on every Southern table come New Year’s Day.
2) Collard or Mustard Greens
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Flickr: SanFranAnnie
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Sometimes cooked in chicken broth with a smoked turkey wing for flavor, this hearty, leafy dish pairs perfectly with number one. They also serve as a deserving vehicle for homemade vinegar-based hot sauce.
3) Cornbread
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Flickr: chris and jenny
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Make it in an iron skillet, and it magically becomes a crispy-on-the-outside-soft-in-the-middle gravy sopper for all those Sunday roasts and a substitute for rice underneath those field peas. Endlessly versatile, it can be crumbled into a glass of milk to make a midnight snack – just like grandpa used to do.
4) Shrimp & Grits
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Flickr: Biskuit
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Simple, rich and recently finding much popularity through shows like Bobby Flay’s Throwdown on Food Network, this lowcountry dish leaves nothing to be desired. Creamy grits topped with fresh shrimp that have been sautéed with bacon or sausage will feed your body and your soul.
5) Chicken Fried Steak
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Flickr: KateMonkey
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If you find one in Texas, it’s usually bigger than your head, and just the beginning of the deep-fried treats you’ll find throughout the South. Often smothered in a thick, cream gravy and accompanied by other delicacies like mashed potatoes or macaroni and cheese, it’s not a something you’d want to eat if you’re looking to lose weight.
6) Biscuits & Gravy
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Flickr: cafemama
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Fresh out of the oven, piping hot baking powder biscuits paired with cream gravy made with pork sausage is one of those indulgent weekend breakfasts. So good, you need a fork to eat it.
7) Coconut Cake
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Flickr: 3liz4
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This fluffy, majestic masterpiece is found in cake domes throughout the South, complete with the white coconut flecked icing atop two or three layers of butter cake. If you refuse, you’re still probably going home with a big, fat piece in some sort of foil wrapped plate, because Southern mamas won’t let you get away without offering you food.
8) Fried Green Tomatoes
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Flickr: u-murrayhusted
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Often legendary, always delicious, fried green tomatoes are the tangy predecessors to the now chic fried pickles. Coated with seasoned cornmeal and fried until a crisp, light crust forms and dipped in buttermilk ranch for final perfection, these unripe beauties hold a special place in a Southerner’s heart.
9) Barbecue
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Flickr: su-lin
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Whether it’s pork ribs and pulled pork shoulder from Memphis, Tenn., the tangy vinegar versions in North Carolina or smoked beef brisket in Texas, all of the truly crave-worthy versions are somewhere South of that famous Mason-Dixon line.
10) Fried Okra
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Flickr: thebittenword.com
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Cornmeal, okra, salt, pepper, hot oil. Such a simple recipe for great comfort food. The secret’s in the technique. Getting the oil hot enough to crisp the okra without leaving lots of grease behind and cool enough to prevent scorching it into oblivion takes lots of practice, but the payoff is priceless.
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