The best soul food dishes, ranked (2023)

Adrian "The Soul Food Scholar" Miller is the author of the book, which won the 2014 James Beard Foundation Award.Soul Food: The Amazing Story of an American Kitchen, One Dish at a Time.FOLLOW HIM@soulfoodscholar

I'm a peaceful man, but sometimes I do things that can best be described as "battle words." Here's one such opportunity: Here I've dared to rank the top ten soul food dishes of all time.

Soul Food: a cuisine that unites West Africa, West Europe and the Americas.no stranger to controversy. Although the label had been floating around in black culture for at least a decade before, "soul food" had its breakthrough in the 1960s, when black power advocates declared their independence from the narrative imposed on African-Americans. for white hegemony. Food was included in this ambitious project.Soul food was presented to the world as a completely different cuisine than southern cuisine, though they shared common ingredients, cooking techniques, and history.

It was a brilliant marketing move, but ideologically incomplete for two reasons. Despite conscious efforts to create distinctions, the lines between soul and southern cuisine are blurring in the American South, so much so that even African-Americans refer to what they eat as southern food. Second, African Americans had to fill in the blanks about what is food for the soul. The malleable definition of soul food was enough to win the approval of African-Americans across the country, but it did.allowed many regional and personal interpretations.

Now, half a century later, we can look back and see that a consensus has emerged about what should go on a plate of soul food. As with many soul food lovers, childhood memories of what I ate at home, with my grandparents, at church, and in restaurants shaped the ranking below. I have endeavored to be as objective as possible, stepping back from my own personal preferences and adding what I have gleaned from the incredible body of research I have worked on.my book on the history of soul food.

Whatever follows, I'm certainly not trying to belittle anything a loving caretaker served you during your childhood. Still, it's time to set the record straight.Here's a countdown of the best soul food dishes.

• 10. Chitlines

  Image via Yelp/Jerome G.

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  Without a doubt, chitlins (also known as giblets) are the most controversial option on this list, as they are the most controversial and misunderstood item on your soul food plate. People love or hate them (tell me on the "love side") for what they are (usually pig intestines) or because they smell when cleaned, cooked, or eaten. Despite the intense feelings, there's no denying that chitlins have played an important role in the history of soul food. As early as the Middle Ages, European nobility enjoyed deer chitlins after a successful deer hunt, and over time, the entrails of domestic animals such as cows and pigs became a food enjoyed by rich and poor alike. In the antebellum South, both blacks and whites on the plantation were prize-winning chitlins after a fall hog slaughter. African-American immigrants brought their love of chitin to urban areas outside the South, and thanks to urban butchers and slaughterhouses, chitin became a year-round treat.

• 9. Black-eyed beans

  Image via Adrian Miller

  Black-eyed peas, actually a bean, have legendary status. Despite being native to West Africa, most people associate black-eyed peas with New Year's Day. Millions of African Americans have adopted and transformed an old European superstition:that you can be very lucky if someone with dark eyes knocks on your door first on January 1st. Although the superstition has no equivalent in West Africa, black-eyed beans have traditionally been eaten on auspicious occasions, such as the birth of twins or religious days honoring certain deities. When you taste black-eyed beans in a smoky, spicy broth, you'll understand why this dish was once considered "food for the gods."

• 8. Sweet Potato Pie

  Image via Flickr/Southern Foodways Alliance

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  Dessert was a foreign word in pre-colonial West Africa. Despite this, sweet potato pie became a classic soul food staple. Enslaved West Africans, accustomed to a traditional diet of tropical yams, found sweet potatoes to be a useful substitute. Originally, the popular dessert was a simple whole sweet potato roasted over the coals of a dying fire. First, enslaved cooks eventually added eggs, milk, and spices to mashed sweet potatoes. Once cooked, the new culinary creation was called sweet potato bread. Over time, a bottom crust was baked under the bread. Sweet potato pie has an annual showdown with pumpkin pie as the Thanksgiving dessert of choice. But that's not a problem: Among African-Americans, sweet potato pie is unbeaten.

• 7. Maisbrot

  Image via Getty/Tom Williams

  There was a time when cornbread was so important to soul food that certain foods, like vegetables, were only served when cornbread was present. Cornbread is just one example of the Native American influence on this cuisine. In addition to making traditional Native American cornbread-like breads (later called meatloaf), African slaves made familiar West African breads that used cornmeal as a substitute. Cornbread for the soul differs from southern cornbread in that it always contains some sugar. Some mistaken souls believe this turns soulful cornbread into pies. It doesn't matter. Whether it's hot cornbread, jiffy mix, or spoonbread (a cornbread soufflé), cornbread is the soul food staff of life.

• 6. Fried Fish

  Imagen vía Getty/The Washington Post

  Traditionally, West Africans have made seafood their protein of choice, and African Americans have continued this culinary tradition. Even during slavery, the weekend fish fry was a highly anticipated event. On a typical plantation, field work hours ended at noon on Saturday and the enslaved spent the rest of the day doing chores and activities such as fishing. Catfish gets most of the attention these days, but depending on what's available, any number of fish will be gobbled up: buffalo, mullet, sea bass, snapper, and whiting, to name a few. Frying was the preferred way of preparing fish, as it allowed you to enjoy the food at the moment. This is further proof of the old adage: "Fish must swim twice: once in water and once in fat."

• 5. Red drink

  Image via Yelp

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  In the culture of soul food"red" is a color and a flavor.We don't bother to differentiate if something is cherry, has a hint of blueberry, or is a tropical punch. It's just red. The enduring popularity of red drinks is a nod to two traditional red drinks, cola tea and hibiscus tea, which came to the United States during the Atlantic slave trade. The red drink can take a variety of forms, but is often served as a kool-aid or punch.

• 4. Peach Shoe Rack

  Image via Adrian Miller

  Peach cobbler owes its superiority over other soul food desserts in part to technology. Cobblers were once a seasonal fruit dessert only enjoyed in the late spring and summer months. It was usually prepared in a large cast iron pot over a fire. The pot was filled with whatever fruit was available, some extra sweetener, and a few spices, and then the whole thing was topped with a crust of leftover cookie dough. With improvements in canning technology, fruit desserts can be eaten year-round. As ovens improved, soul food cooks were now able to add a bottom layer of crust, making the dish a bit fancier. It turns out that peaches were once considered an aphrodisiac. This could explain why, despite the existence of so many shoemakers, the peach has conquered so many hearts.

• 3. Macaroni and cheese

  Image via Flickr/stu_spivack

  I know older African Americans who believe that mac and cheese is created entirely by soul food chefs, but that is clearly not the case. The confusion may arise because enslaved cooks were introduced to this dish outside of the Italian context. Before great waves of Italian immigrants arrived in the United States in the late 18th century, wealthy whites visiting Europe fell in love with macaroni and cheese and brought recipes with them. White planters like Thomas Jefferson introduced the dish into the kitchens of great houses. Enslaved cooks were called in to prepare the dish, usually on weekends or when special guests dined on the plantation. After Emancipation, African Americans embraced this dish and made it part of their culinary repertoire for Sunday lunch. Since then it has retained its special status.

• 2. verde

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  Vegetables are a staple on the soul food plate, with greens (the edible leaves of certain plants) being the most consistent main attraction. Most African Americans trace their roots to West Africa, a region where vegetables are a mainstay of many local cuisines. Enslaved West Africans brought a love of vegetables to the other side of the Atlantic. Unable to obtain the bitter tropical greens they were used to, African Americans substituted bitter greens grown by Europeans, the most popular being cabbage, kale, kale, mustard, and rutabaga. This vegetable is eaten throughout the year but has special significance on New Year's Day as a symbol of prosperity. For those who have discovered cabbage and kale in the last five to 10 years, welcome to the party. We have been eating them for almost four centuries.

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• 1. Fried Chicken

  Image via Flickr/stu_spivack

  Fried chicken is one of the most delicious things ever created.It is one of the few foods that can be served for Sunday lunch, church functions, or other special occasions. Although it is loved by many cultures, there are various points of contention as to who exactly gets the credit for inventing this dish. Whether you're a chef in West Africa, Western Europe, or Southeast Asia, fried chicken has become a favorite with African Americans. Classically fried in a cast iron skillet, Nashville Spiced or paired with a waffle,Roast chicken is divine in soul food cooking. No wonder we nicknamed it "The Gospel Bird."