soul food
Down-home Southern cooking
Soul food is a style of cooking associated with African American culture, particularly from the Southern United States.
It features hearty, flavorful dishes like fried chicken, collard greens, cornbread, black-eyed peas, and candied yams—foods with roots in the resourceful cooking of enslaved people who made nourishing meals from limited ingredients.
The term gained currency during the Black Power movement of the 1960s as an expression of cultural pride.
Grandma's soul food always brings the whole family together.
Battered poultry cooked in oil
- collard greensSturdy leafy vegetable
- macaroni and cheesePasta in cheese sauce
- cornbreadQuick bread from maize
- black-eyed peasCream-colored legumes with dark spots
candied yams · chitlins · oxtails · catfish · gumbo · jambalaya · hushpuppies · pecan pie
Family line of descent
- rootsUnderground nutrient absorbers
- lineageDescent from progenitors
- legacyWhat's passed down
- African AmericanU.S. Black ethnic identity
Great Migration · slavery · resilience · family recipes · grandmothers · Sunday dinner · church suppers · Juneteenth
Food that sustains life
- warmthHeat you feel
- home cookingMeals prepared at residence
- satisfactionState of fulfilled desires
- loveIntense fond attachment
memory · nostalgia · gathering · fellowship · celebration · togetherness · abundance · hospitality
Southernmost American states
- MississippiSouthern state or major river
- LouisianaGulf Coast pelican state
- GeorgiaName shared by country and state
- AlabamaDeep South state
Carolina · plantation · rural · cast iron · smokehouse · front porch · down-home · backyard barbecue
fried chicken
Battered poultry cooked in oil
- collard greensSturdy leafy vegetable
- macaroni and cheesePasta in cheese sauce
- cornbreadQuick bread from maize
black-eyed peas · candied yams · chitlins · oxtails · catfish · gumbo · jambalaya · hushpuppies · pecan pie · sweet potato pie
ancestry
Family line of descent
African American · Great Migration · slavery · resilience · family recipes · grandmothers · Sunday dinner · church suppers · Juneteenth · community
nourishment
Food that sustains life
- warmthHeat you feel
- home cookingMeals prepared at residence
- satisfactionState of fulfilled desires
love · memory · nostalgia · gathering · fellowship · celebration · togetherness · abundance · hospitality · generosity
Deep South
Southernmost American states
- MississippiSouthern state or major river
- LouisianaGulf Coast pelican state
- GeorgiaName shared by country and state
Alabama · Carolina · plantation · rural · cast iron · smokehouse · front porch · down-home · backyard barbecue · church picnic
- food culturetable manners, culinary traditions, dining etiquette, traditional foods, ethnic cuisine
- American diningdiners, free refills, doggy bag, tipping, hamburgers
- food traditionstraditional cooking, regional cuisine, ethnic cuisine, family recipes, heirloom recipes
- SouthernSouthern belles, sweet tea, front porch, grits, y'all
- Southern culturesweet tea, grits, fried chicken, front porch, barbecue
- Black AmericaBlack churches, NAACP, civil rights activism, Jim Crow, racial justice
soul foodnouvelle cuisine
Lighter contemporary French gastronomy
Japanese cuisine · Nordic cuisine · Scandinavian cuisine · French cuisine · British cuisine
soul foodhealth food
Nutrient-dense dietary choices
raw food · clean eating · steamed vegetables · rabbit food · salad
soul foodhaute cuisine
Elevated culinary artistry
fine dining · nouvelle cuisine · molecular gastronomy · gourmet food · tasting menu
food, soul, soulful, soulless, soulfully, soulfulness, soul music, soul-searching, heart and soul