Classic Southern Comfort Foods That Need To Make A Comeback

Culture

Classic Southern Comfort Foods That Need To Make A Comeback By Felicia Lee Aug. 18, 2025 9:19 am EST

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The American South has always prided itself on its distinctive culture and history. But many of its homegrown dishes -– treats such as fried chicken, cornbread, and giant layer cakes –- have become so popular outside the region that we've grown to embrace them as prototypical all-American foods. A closer look, however, reveals why the distinctive dishes of the South could have only been born there. Cornbread and other corn-based dishes were gifts from the region's Native Americans, who introduced European settlers to the local grain. Common Southern preparations such as stewed collards or okra were the contributions of enslaved Africans, who