Can it be good for you?
Feb 25 '01
The Bottom Line Southern Cuisine is definitely a treat within itself.
Finally I have seen a topic that I feel passionate enough to write about since the launch of the new site.
What exactly is Southern Cuisine? In my mind Southern Cuisine is soul food. The kind of food that makes you feel good, but completely guilty once you have finished your meal. Completely guilty? Yes, Southern food is known for fried foods to be a staple in many meals that are served. High in fat and it is generally not healthy for you would be a good definition of Southern Cuisine.
Here in the South a man looked for a woman that was a good cook since the food was such a big deal in their lives. Many Southern women were trained well by their mothers that the way to a mans heart is through his stomach.
As a young child I have many memories of my Granny cooking 3 full meals every day. During the week breakfast and lunch would be a little lighter than what she would cook on the weekend. The weekends were like a sacred time for my family. This was the time that all my Granny’s children and grandchildren would be at her house for dinner on Sunday evening. At any given time during the weekend she would have a minimum of 4 grandchildren spending the night to 8 at some point. Can you imagine having to feed all those mouths plus those that were known to unexpectedly drop by?
The traditional Saturday morning breakfast consisted of homemade biscuits, sausage, bacon, eggs, pancakes, and chocolate gravy for the biscuits. This was just for breakfast. And at my Granny’s house you didn’t dare leave anything on your plate since there were people less fortunate in the world. For many of us grandkids this was the only time that we actually had some real food for breakfast and not cereal or oatmeal. For us being at my grandparent’s house on the weekends was a treat in itself.
The traditional Sunday evening dinner was the best and you always knew what to expect. My Granny’s menu never changed and generally you would save room for this spectacular meal that was waiting for you later on that day. On Sunday mornings around 9:30 Granny would get the roast of the refrigerator and place it is one of her cast iron frying pans. The cast iron frying pan is a necessity for anyone trying to cook Southern Cuisine. She would then fry it for ten-twenty minutes then place it in her huge crock~pot and let it cook until 6 pm or so. Along with roast she would make mashed potatoes that are not instant mind you. In the crock~pot she would also toss in two onions and several carrots to cook. Then when it was closer to dinnertime she would start making her macaroni and cheese. She would check to see if the peas and corn were thawed enough to cook that had been frozen from their garden. Also she would make homemade yeast rolls to please my Gramps since he loves his bread. Once the roast is ready she then would make brown gravy for the mashed potatoes and roast. Talk about a million calories in a meal. During the summer she would make homemade vanilla ice cream to go along with this meal.
Southern Cuisine has generally been high in fat and caloric content. When you think of Southern food you may think of fried chicken, grits, Mississippi Mud Cake, or maybe a meal like the one I just described for your imagination. From my experience being a Southern cook many recipes and meals are now more health conscious here in the South. The times have changed drastically and people don’t need to eat the same meals that their parents or grandparents cooked for them all those years ago.
The South is still known for its Pecan Pies but not everything we cook now is drowned in butter or flour for cooking. I actually can’t even think of a single food that I “fry” except for egg rolls. Fried foods are not the staple in many meals as they used to be. Foods have been replaced with healthier versions of their favorite Southern foods. For instance you can still eat fried chicken just don’t eat the skin. I know the skin is one of the best parts in my opinion. But it is also one of the worst parts. Try some baked or grilled chicken.
The vegetables in the South have also taken a turn for the better in the way they are prepared. Just a few years ago people started steaming their veggies or just not putting butter or bacon drippings in them when they are cooking them. Butter and bacon drippings add a great deal of flavor to veggies when they are cooking and also add calories galore. Thank goodness many people have wisened up and are more health conscious.
If you are truly craving a real Southern Cuisine then carefully plan what you are going to have and make this a special meal since our bodies can not eat like this everyday and live to be old and healthy. Southern Cuisine is definitely one thing that I am proud of here in the South since almost everything has its own “flavor” and style compared to other types of cuisine in the world.
Now I am hungry for some cornbread and red beans and rice!
~Thanks 4 reading and have a great day~
~Miss TARA~
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Member: Miss Tara
Location: Wylie, Texas
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I am a newlywed as of November 22, 2003!!!!!
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