Southern Food Terms & Rules

CraftyGirl4

I saw a thread called "Canadian food-isms" started by @pnieuw, and I thought it was awesome! So I decided to shamelessly steal the idea and share some Southern Food Terms ("or food-isms") to help you navigate a menu and certain rules that apply when eating south of the Mason-Dixon line.

Johnny Cakes/Hoecakes - cornmeal cakes
Red Eye Gravy - gravy made from the drippings of ham/bacon fried in a skillet. The pan is deglazed with coffee
Sawmill Gravy/Country Gravy - gravy typically used in biscuits and gravy and chicken fried steak. It is essentially a béchamel sauce, with the roux being made of meat drippings and flour. Milk or cream is added and thickened by the roux; once prepared, black pepper and bits of mild sausage or chicken liver are sometimes added.
Chitlins - pig intestines

Grits - You put butter, salt, and maybe even some pepper on them. If you want to put milk and sugar on them, then you want cream of wheat -- go to Kansas. That would be I-40 West.

Tea - yep, we have tea. It comes in a glass over ice and it's sweet. You want it hot? Set it in the sun. You want it unsweetened? Add a lot of water.

Greens - yeah, we have greens, but you don't putt on them. You boil them with salty fatback, bacon or a smoked hog jowl.

Don't order a steak at a Waffle House. They serve breakfast 24 hours a day. Let them cook something they know.

Don't order a bottle of pop or a can of soda.. Down here, it's called Coke, even if you want a Pepsi.


It just thought this was too funny. If anyone else has things to share, please do. :-)

suthernbelle

Grits(cont)-can also add cheese or gravy if you like.

Stewed/Smothered-way to cook something overtime adding a gravy of some sort to it.

Boudin-cajun sausage filled with rice/meat (pork or seafood)

Dirty rice-Rice cooked with meat/drippings and other seasonings....the "dirty" refers to the color, it's no longer white.

CraftyGirl4

Grits(cont)-can also add cheese or gravy if you like.

Stewed/Smothered-way to cook something overtime adding a gravy of some sort to it.

Boudin-cajun sausage filled with rice/meat (pork or seafood)

Dirty rice-Rice cooked with meat/drippings and other seasonings....the "dirty" refers to the color, it's no longer white.

Love it!