The Roots of Southern Food

A plate of food at Martha Lou’s restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina, is a

beautiful sight to behold. Vibrant, brightly colored vegetables sit side by side on a
white plate. Stewed okra, turnip greens, fried chicken, and cornbread are on the
plate. Sweet iced tea is in a glass, and for dessert there is banana pudding.
The food Martha Lou cooks is called “Southern food” or “soul food.” Southern
food people eat today originated in the American South, but it can now be found all
over the United States. Southern food is the result of hundreds of years of trade
across oceans. It is mostly the result of cultural exchange between Africans, Native
Americans, and Europeans.
Before the first Europeans arrived in North America, the Native Americans
living in various parts of the continent had different diets, depending on the plants
and animals in their region. Some of the crops Native Americans ate included corn,
squash, and beans. Generations of Native Americans improved the crops by
selecting seeds for the next harvest from the tastiest crops. They also hunted
animals such as deer, fish and bison. Each tribe had its own cuisine and cooking
habits, but they shared many of these common ingredients.
When the Europeans first arrived in North America, they had never tasted
American plants before. The first European settlers brought their own seeds with
them. Spinach, turnips, and radishes are all vegetables that came from Europe. In
time the Europeans began to eat the American plants as well. Because corn and
squash were originally from America, they were sometimes easier to grow in
America than the European vegetables. Over time a new “American” diet evolved
with dishes that used produce from both Europe and America.
But Southern food doesn’t only come from European and Native American
cultures. Many of the vegetables, fruits, and grains eaten in the South today came
from Africa. In the 1600s, the first Africans arrived on the shores of North America.
They came against their will and were sold into slavery. These Africans brought
their own food with them across the Atlantic Ocean. Lots of delicious vegetables,
legumes, fruits, and grains grew in Africa. Yams, black-eyed peas, watermelon, and
some kinds of rice all came from Africa. As more and more enslaved Africans were
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brought to North America, African produce took root in American soil. Most of the
enslaved people in the United States were in the South. So rice fields covered the
wet marshlands along the coast of South Carolina. Black-eyed peas sprung up
across the Deep South, from Georgia to Alabama.
Slavery in the United States lasted until 1865, when the 13th Amendment
abolished slavery. After the end of slavery, many African Americans continued to
live in the Southern states. Over time, the food culture of African Americans, Native
Americans and European Americans in the South grew closer, and became what we
now call “Southern food.”
In time, the produce from Europe, Africa, and America were grown side by
side in gardens and fields. The different produce also found their way onto the
dinner plate together. Think about what was on that plate of food at Martha Lou’s
Southern food restaurant: stewed okra, turnip greens, fried chicken, and cornbread.
Each produce item came from a different place. Okra came from Africa. Turnip
greens came from Northern Europe. And cornbread? Native Americans were
making something like cornbread long before European settlers arrived in North
America, and the European settlers made their own version of European breads
using corn instead of the wheat they had used on their home continent.
Southern food spread throughout the United States when African Americans
from the South moved to major cities across the country. From 1900 to 1970, more
than 6 million African Americans moved to big American cities in the North,
Midwest, and West. They left the South to seek fair treatment and more
opportunities. They brought with them the foods and traditions of their past home.
Southern food traditions are still changing today. As new immigrants from
other parts of the world move to the United States, they bring their own food
traditions. There are now Asian-Southern restaurants in Atlanta and Caribbean soul
restaurants in New York City. New patterns of migration and trade will change the
foods that we eat and create new cuisines.

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 Vocabulary Activity
behold [bɪˈhoʊld]
to see or look at someone or something

vibrant [vaɪ.brənt]
energetic, exciting, and full of enthusiasm

originate [əˈrɪdʒ.ən.eɪt]
to come from a particular place, time, situation, etc.

result [rɪˈzʌlt]
something that happens or exists because of something else

trade [treɪd]
the activity of buying and selling, or exchanging, goods and/or services between people or
countries

region [riː.dʒən]
1. a particular area or part of the world, or any of the large official areas into which a country is
divided
2. an area of a country, especially one that has a particular characteristic or is known for something

include [ɪnˈkluːd]
to contain something as a part of something else, or to make something part of something else

improve [ɪmˈpruːv]
to (cause something to) get better

evolve [ɪˈvɑːlv]
to develop gradually, or to cause something or someone to develop gradually

shore [ʃɔːr]
the land along the edge of a sea, lake, or wide river

tradition [trəˈdɪʃ.ən]
a belief, principle, or way of acting that people in a particular society or group have continued to
follow for a long time, or all of these beliefs, etc. in a particular society or group

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1. Where did "southern food" originate, or come from?
• Africa
• all over the United States
• the American South
• Europe

2. Over time, an "American" diet developed, with dishes that used fruits and
vegetables from both Europe and America. What is one cause of this
development?
• The first European settlers brought their own vegetable seeds with them to
America.
• Native Americans hunted animals like squirrels and bison.
• Native Americans selected seeds for the next harvest from the tastiest
crops.
• Africans who came to North America as slaves brought their food with
them.

3. “Southern food” combines Native American, European, and African foods.

Based on this evidence, what conclusion can you make?
• Different regions have different diets, depending on what food is available.
• Southern food is still changing today as new immigrants arrive.
• A new “American” diet evolved using food from Europe and America.
• New types of food can be created using food from different places.

4. When European settlers came to North America, they brought their

European seeds with them. When Africans were brought to North America as
enslaved people, they brought African food with them.
Based on this information, what can you infer?
• It is difficult to transport food across the oceans.
• People are attached to the food from their home.
• Early settlers and immigrants did not like American food.
• People are not attached to the food from their home.

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5. What is this passage mostly about?
• how Southern food came about in the United States
• Martha Lou’s restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina
• crops grown by Native Americans before European settlers arrived
• how Southern food spread throughout the United States

6. Read the following sentences.

"Some of the crops Native Americans ate included corn, squash, and beans. [. . .] They also
hunted animals such as squirrels and bison. Each tribe had its own cuisine and cooking
habits, but they shared many of these common ingredients."
As used in this sentence, what does the word "cuisine" most nearly mean?
• a type of vegetable
• cooking without meat
• style of cooking
• tradition

7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.

When enslaved Africans were brought to North America, they brought plants
from Africa with them. _____________, African plants began to grow in
America.
• However
• Meanwhile
• For instance
• As a result

8. Southern food is the result of cultural exchange between which three

cultures?

9. How did slavery in America influence the development of Southern food?

10. Explain how cuisines are changed and affected by the interactions of
cultures. Support your answer with information from the passage.

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