One of my favorite things about comfort food is that it can be enjoyed in any setting. Whether on a lavish island vacation where luxury is served around the clock, or at a relative’s house where old pots and pans have been passed down for generations, comfort food fits.
Originating in the Southern regions of the country, people would mix cultures and simple ingredients – like butter, spices and cheap meat – to create dishes that were flavorful and filling. Though born mainly of necessity, it was the heart and slow-cooked passion that made the food so distinctly comforting. It’s no surprise that every other region in the country has its own spin on“Southern” comfort food today. Fried chicken sandwich, anyone?
I live in the Carolinas, and don’t need to go far before running into barbecue, biscuits or buttery mashed potatoes. Any of which can be eaten at any point in the day without shame.
While we have a general understanding of what makes these foods a staple for so many, some little-known historical nuggets could make your eating experience even more satisfactory.
Here are 12 facts about favorite Southern comfort foods you probably didn't know.
1. Fried chicken was Scottish before it was Southern
It’s the unofficial mascot of Southern comfort food. But it was actually Scottish immigrants who first brought their recipe for deep-frying chicken to the United States. It became distinctly “Southern” after being adopted and enhanced by enslaved Africans, due to chickens being the only animals they were allowed to keep.
2. Mac and cheese used to be reserved for celebrations
While Thomas Jefferson often gets credited for popularizing this top-tier comfort dish in the US, it was actually his enslaved chef, James Hemings, who prepared it for celebrations. For a while, mac and cheese was treated as a celebration and weekend food in the antebellum South before popularity spread nationally.
3. Fried catfish is both an easy food and a brain food
Fried catfish became a staple in Black and Indigenous communities due to its being easy to catch and easy to prep for large family gatherings. It’s also a popular brain food because it contains omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which help create brain cells and protect against memory loss conditions.
4. Cornbread was once more prevalent than wheat bread
Though it has a firm place among southern comfort food, cornbread (and its variations) was the first bread produced in the country. Before early North American settlers could grow wheat, regional Native Americans taught them how to grow and cook corn. As recipes expanded, cornbread quickly became the top loaf.
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5. Shrimp and grits is the original breakfast for dinner food
Like many Southern foods, shrimp and grits had humble beginnings. It originated in the Lowcountry (South Carolina) and was served separately as a breakfast dish in the Gullah Geechee culture. It wasn’t until the ‘80s that it was recontextualized as a gourmet dinner entree in restaurants. It remains delicious in either context.
6. Peach cobbler went from makeshift to mainstay
Before I moved to the South and fell in love with peach cobbler, I’d assumed it was counterfeit pie. It turns out I wasn’t totally wrong. Settlers in the 1800s didn’t have fresh fruit or pie ingredients, so they literally “cobbled” together a dish from canned fruit and biscuit dough.
7. Chicken-fried steak has nothing to do with chicken
Popularized in Texas, it often surprises people who aren’t from the area to know that this dish isn’t fried chicken that looks like steak. It’s steak. The name comes from how it’s cooked. Once the beef is pounded thin, it’s dipped in egg and breaded, then deep-fried like chicken.
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8. Sausage gravy and biscuits is the ‘Cinderella’ of southern food
Eating biscuits with sausage gravy feels like a warm blanket before a nap. So it’s no surprise that it originated with people who needed comfort during hard living. But, while it was first known as a staple of the poor, it would gain popularity in fancier circles by the ‘80s.
9. Red beans and rice have traditional ties to Mondays
This New Orleans dish represents the city’s blend of cultural roots, as well as its tradition born out of necessity. Since Monday was laundry day, which took most of the day, slow-cooking this dish was most convenient. Thus, it became a Monday dinner – and remains so in some areas today.
10. Collard greens are eaten most on New Year’s Day
In the South, it’s tradition to eat collard greens along with black-eyed peas and cornbread on New Year’s Day. In the region, it’s believed doing so will bring about financial wealth in the coming year. Why? Because before they’re cooked, the green leaves look like paper bills, of course.
11. Potato salad was German before it was southern
I grew up on my grandfather’s potato salad he made from scratch. So I was shocked to find out the dish didn’t originate in Black or African cultures. It was German immigrants who introduced their vinegar and oil-based version. After generations of tweaking, we got the modern creamy mayo version.
12. Sweet potato pie wasn’t always a dessert
Widely known as an essential Southern/”Soul Food” staple, sweet potato pie was considered by some to be a vegetable dish in the early 18th century. It was also believed to have contained meat in some instances. But Black cooks of the time would soon perfect it as a dessert.
DeVonne is a writer and editor with over a decade of experience covering a wide range of lifestyle topics. He's worked on brands like Parents, Men's Journal, Healthline and Bankrate, with focuses on trending news and culture. He’s also led various multimedia initiatives in the wellness and parenting spaces. He currently lives in the Charlotte, NC area.
