Soul Food History

Southern Native American culture (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek) is the cornerstone of the American south’s cuisine. From their cultures came one of the main staples of the Southern diet: corn (maize) — either ground into meal, or, limed with an alkaline salt to make hominy (a.k.a., masa), in a Native American technology known as nixtamalization.  Corn was used to make all kinds of dishes, from the familiar cornbread and grits, to liquors such as whiskey and moonshine (which were important trade items).

Many fruits are available in this region. Muscadines, blackberries, raspberries, and many other wild berries were part of Southern Native Americans’ diets, as well.  Read more... (458 words, estimated 1:50 mins reading time)

Soul food cuisine consists of a selection of foods traditional in the cuisine of African Americans. It is closely related to the cuisine of the Southern United States. The descriptive terminology may have originated in the mid-1960s, when soul was a common definer used to describe African-American culture.  Read more... (406 words, estimated 1:37 mins reading time)