Y'all. The 7 Essential Southern Dishes. Discuss.

Texas has its own essential dishes. None of them are on the list. 😂

I would disagree with that list, but I'm guessing it's specific to the region of the south the author is from. In Oklahoma it would be similar to your list. I think only 7 is hard too. It needs to be 10 or 20. lol

Biscuits and gravy
Ham and beans
Cornbread
Pecan pie
Black eyed peas
Green beans with ham/bacon
Pimiento cheese
Chicken Fried Steak
Chipped Beef on Toast
Blackberry Cobbler
Fried Green Tomatoes

Ugh I keep thinking of more. It's a hard list!

I grew up in the south, in the lower blue ridge mountains to be exact. When I think of iconic food from my childhood I think along the lines of church supper food. Chili beans, cornbread, pulled pork, Mac and cheese, pie. Biscuits and gravy yes. Fried chicken. Deer meat, grits with butter. Fried fish and hush puppies. Long simmered green beans with bacon. Dessert made with cool whip.

I didn’t become a very good southern cook though. I make the worst biscuits ever.

Pimiento cheese is a further south regional thing, we didn’t do much of that. Not much collards either. I think most of it is regional.

Crawfish etoufee
Shrimp and grits
Gumbo
Jambalaya
Red beans and rice
Shrimp po boys

I'm visiting in Louisiana right now, so that's my list.

An Arkansan here who considers herself very southern. Here is my list:

1. Fried Chicken
2. Grits
3. Biscuits and gravy
4. any sort of greens with pot likker and cornbread(NO SUGAR)
5. Purple hull peas with my grandmothers chow chow/cornbread
6. A true poundcake


@merge, Texas is its own area. I know we are neighbors but I don't consider you southern. Love ya though!! Also, my DH is from Florida. Nope, they don't get to consider themselves southern either. We kid him all the time about that.

As to that list, I haven't had several of the items on there. Hanging my head here that I have never had Chess Pie. Or don't remember if I did. Never had Brunswick Stew. Never sounded good to me. And I disagree with the pound cake and thin pan method. All of us around here like a pound cake with a "crust". The only way to get that is to use a good heavy bundt pan. I have my grandmother's pan. If I ever make pound cake I only use that pan. Also that pan makes great monkey bread.

Were you a civilian cook or enlisted?  

I’m no expert but I don’t consider Oklahoma ‘the south ‘. Missouri is Midwest except for the boot heel. Texas is it’s own wonderful strangeness.

Aren't they shoes?

We are from Texas. My husband and a colleague went to Rhode Island on a business trip. The co-worker is a self-proclaimed redneck from Mississippi. They went to breakfast at a local diner one morning and tried to order grits. The waitress looked at my husband's co-worker and said, "we don't serve that cat litter here!" My husband cracks up when he tells this story and it has been 15 years since it happened!!

My Texas list would be the following however, I don't eat all of them personally:

Biscuits & Gravy
Chicken Fried Steak
Black eyed peas
Chili (no beans)
Grits
BBQ
Cornbread

I enjoyed reading people’s list.     

This New Englander agrees that Chip beef on toast is also a New England thing.   Green beans and bacon is another one that we share.  Yummy food crossed all regions.

Yup people call it $hit on a shingle here also.      I don’t get all the crazy hate for it...what is not to love about beef in a creamy white sauce with hard boiled eggs all server on buttery toast!...hahaha      It was a favorite of mine as a kid and still will make it for myself every now and then.  It is truly my idea of home style comfort food.