Catering Burleson

Why Each State Has Its Own Unique Style of Southern Country Cooking

If you’re a fan of southern country cuisine, then you may have noticed that each state seems to have its own unique style of cooking. Southern food in Dallas, Texas, for example, isn’t quite the same as southern food in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Why is southern food different in different parts of the country? Well, the explanation is actually quite simple.

People use the resources around them to make good food

According to Wikipedia’s article about the history of cuisine in the southern United States, the regional differences among dishes is almost entirely related to the types of food that are available in each region.

In South Carolina, for example, southern dishes generally include more rice than southern dishes in other parts of the U.S. That’s because rice is an historically important crop in the coastal areas of South Carolina. South Carolina even has dishes specifically based around rice, including:

-Hoppin’ John: A mixture of rice and black-eyed peas flavored with salt pork

-Charleston Red Rice: This dish simply consists of plain white rice boiled with crushed tomatoes, pork sausage, and hot sauce. In Florida, this dish may also be referred to as Savannah Red Rice.

Similarly, Virginia is one of the country’s largest suppliers of hams, apples, and peanuts, all of which have made their way into various southern dishes from the state.

Meanwhile, early settlers of Mississippi decided to make the most out of the resources at hand by frying catfish. Today, restaurants still serve breaded catfish fried in a frying pan, and it’s a popular dish at classic country cooking catering restaurants like Dallas-based Babe’s Chicken Dinner House.

The impact of Native Americans and Europeans

Using the food available was undoubtedly important, but the people and their style of cooking also morphed the way southern cuisine evolved over the years. Nowhere is this more obvious than in Louisiana, where widespread French and Spanish immigration combined to create Cajun and Creole cuisine.

Today, southern cuisine from the coastal regions of Louisiana tends to include local dishes like crawfish as well as hot sauces and other telltale recipes of the people who originally settled the region.

Classic Louisiana cuisine staples include:

-Crawfish
-Crab
-Oysters
-Shrimp
-Fish
-Pecans and peanuts

Southern cooking dishes in other southern states

Oklahoma: Located mainly on the plains, Oklahoma’s cuisine reflects the state’s dependence on agriculture. Country cooking dishes generally include grains and beans, including classics like ‘cornbread and beans’ or simply ‘biscuits and gravy.’

Florida: Florida residents have popularized Key lime pie over the years. In fact, Key lime pie is a totally American invention that originally comes from the Key West area. Florida cuisine may also include something called ‘swamp cabbage’, which is far more appetizing than it sounds.