Southern Food: Seasonings
Most southern food dishes and recipes have a distinct flavor, due to the seasonings used. Which seasonings will you find in authentic southern food? Why is most southern food so highly seasoned? I’ll answer the second question first. The reason most southern recipes are so savory and/or spicy is because most southern foods started out as food that was eaten by poor people – slaves, poor whites, immigrants to the South, and poor free blacks. Since they couldn’t afford “fancy food,” they made the best of what they had and added seasonings to vastly improve the taste of sometimes inferior foods.
Now I’ll answer the second question. Some of the most popular seasonings found in southern foods are animal products: lard, bacon, bacon grease, chicken broth, ham, ham hocks, and pork neck bones. Healthier options like onions, garlic, celery, bell peppers, and hot peppers are also used extensively. Hot sauce, pepper vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and Liquid Smoke are very popular, too. The most common herbs and spices found in southern food include black pepper, red pepper, chili powder, poultry seasoning, red pepper flakes, mint, dill, sage, rosemary, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Sweetening agents common in southern food are white sugar, brown sugar, cane syrup, honey, molasses, and Karo syrup.