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In the first instance, it is worth noting that all southern food is considered soul food, and all soul food is southern: two concepts that feed off each other. But what are they independently?
Soul food is an ethnic cuisine traditionally prepared and consumed by African-Americans in the southern United States. The term ‘soul food’ originated in the mid-1960s, when ‘soul’ was a common word to describe African-American culture.
Essentially, soul food is the home cooking that has been passed down from generation to generation and has its roots in the rural South, when foods such as fried chicken, fried fish, sweet potato pie, red drinks and black-eyed peas were served at Emancipation celebrations and church gatherings.
The staples of soul food cuisine are beans, vegetables, cornmeal -used in cornbread or as a coating for fried fish- and pork.
When it comes to southern cuisine, the reality is that there is no single definition to encompass it. Each state and region has its own traditions, flavours and variations, including fusions with other cultures, such as Korean and Thai.
According to The New York Times, the difference between soul food and Southern food is more about class than race, and what families could afford to put on the table.
