I’m currently in Oklahoma, taking care of my parents after my mom’s surgery, but I was able to make this short post. Like my first list of types of Southern people, this list will likely expand. I would love to have your suggestions, so write me at rickeyp@bayou.com. Southerners like their food. Yankees like Southern food. Some foods are unique, distinctive, and are a part of the fabric and milieu of the South. Much can happen at a meal, or be explained or discovered at a meal. You’re likely to encounter these foods in any Southern writer’s book. I tried to select food-words that are distinctly Southern.
1. chicory: An ingredient in some blends of Louisiana coffee. You can read more about chicory here:
2. mint julep: Traditional drink of the South. (sometimes spelled “julip”) Here is a site of the recipe:
3. grits – coarsely ground corn meal. Here’s a site: http://www.grits.com/
4. Po Boy – a traditional Louisiana submarine sandwich. Can be made of meat or seafood–catfish, oysters, shrimp. Bread is usually French.
5. Tabasco – The legendary king of pepper sauce! Here is their site: http://www.tabasco.com/main.cfm
6. Muscadine (sometimes muscadime) Wild (and sometimes cultivated) grapes of the Southeast. Called the Passion fruit of the South. Makes a fine wine. Here is a great site: http://www.muscadine.com/
7. Louisiana foods: There is a long list here: Community Coffee, jambala, gumbo, boudin, etouffee, sauce piquant, and many others.
I remember the first time I read To Kill A Mockingbird (a LONG time ago as a young Nebraska girl and it’s still one of my favorite books to teach) and scuppernongs were mentioned I had to do a little investigation to find out exactly what they were. So I suggest you add it to the list since they are mentioned in a VERY southern book.
“Scuppernong is the original variety of bronze muscadine discovered growing in the wild.”
Another suggestion would be to add mayhaw.
hey there and thank you for your information – I’ve certainly picked up something new from right here.