Fixin' Up the Vittles
Traditional Southern food is based on family recipes that vary from region to region
JUNE 1985
by Mary Eccher page 1 of 7
Introduction
Catfish stew, collard or turnip greens, fried chicken, baked ham in pastry, biscuits and jam and the pecan and sweet potato pies shown above are all favorites from the Southern kitchen. In some circles, this type of "down home" cooking is known as "soul food." The biscuits and jam on the right are always a fresh, flaky treat.
Southern cooking, like Southern hospitality, has become a legend. Hush puppies, hog jowls, turnip greens and corn bread are all part of a pre-Civil War Southern tradition, which came into the mainstream during the Reconstruction days when money was short and food even scarcer. As time passed, cooks relied more on native products and their own folk traditions, developing a soul-ful, simple and tasty way of cooking. Fried chicken, hams, stews, collard greens, grits, black-eyed peas and sweet potato pie are all familiar examples of Southern food. But the distinguishing quality of all Southern cuisine results from preparing with love the foods that have been favorites for generations.
Southern Fried Chicken, certainly a byword in the US, comes close to being the ideal all-purpose, all-occasion dish. Oddly enough, even within the South, its preparation and its accompaniments differ from state to state, which just proves how very specific regional preferences can be.
Whether it be Smithfield or country, the preparation of ham for the table also stirs heated debates. It may be boiled, baked, stuffed or glazed, but the classic accompaniments are pickled peaches or watermelon rind. Freshly baked, beaten biscuits are also considered an essential with ham.
Short on eye appeal but long on flavor, catfish is a much-fished for food in the South. A steaming kettle of catfish stew or a sizzling skillet of golden fried catfish fillets are both Southern delights! Turnip greens, collards, mustard greens --- all the greens that have a slightly tonic bitterness --- are the essence of Southern home cooking, usually with a bit of browned fatback added to the pot.
For dessert, open-faced pies that flaunt their fillings are Southern favorites. Pecan pie, with its rich, nutty flavor, is a classic in the South where pecan trees abound. Sweet potato pie has a filling made from boiled, sleved sweet potatoes which are mixed with eggs and milk, sweetened with sugar, and spiced with cinnamon and ginger. The color and texture are not unlike that of the Thanksgiving pumpkin pie popular in New England, but Southerners prefer the sweet potato filling for its sweeter, more delicate flavor.
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