Soul food recipes and the southern flavors
There is a branch of cuisine called soul food, that originated from the deep south during the days of slavery in USA. Back in those days, African slaves brought to America carried back with them some of their traditions and cooking cuisine from their native homelands. After a hard days work in the fields, slaves used to enjoy the companionship of each other by gathering around the evening meal. Soon, poor whites started adopting this cuisine, taught by the blacks. Added on by the influence of native american indian tribal cooking, and a whole branch of cooking gradually sprang up through the years, and reinforced by the civil rights movements of the 1960s, the term soul food was coined.
What are the characteristics of soul food?
It typically incorporates lots of grains, pork, potatoes and beans. The meals are meant to be appetizing and filling. Since soul food has its roots in humble, poor origins, most of the cooking involves refrying foods in deep oil or lard. Due to increasing health awareness, most soul food cooking today tries to make use of fresh vegetable oil and not refrying them. Also cooks have been testing with other meat alternatives like tofu, which may not be too puristic nor strong flavor-wise, but anyhow, a sign of the changing times. Soul food is marked by strong flavors and high content of protein and carbohydrates.
Nonetheless, soul food is today much in demand, and soul food recipes are highly sought after, especially among tourists who wish to taste some fine southern cuisine that represents the warm and distinct culture of the American south.
