Following the election of Abraham Lincoln to the U.S. presidency in 1861 the eleven states located in the South East joined together to form the Confederate States of America, also commonly referred to as the South. These states feature a predominantly humid, sub-tropical climate, making it possible to grow a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

An important component of Southern cuisine, African-American soul food, evolved from the “cuisine of scarcity” of African slaves with its use of less popular parts of meat such as intestines, pigs’ feet and ears and chicken wings, diverse types of fish, crayfish and mussels, okra, rice, wheat, yams and sweet potatoes.

From the menu of the original Indian inhabitants came corn (maize), different varieties of peas and beans, catfish, shrimp and turkey. French, Spanish, Italian, African and German immigrants also had an impact on Creole and Cajun cuisine practiced on the Mississippi delta in the state of Louisiana.

The typically Southern dish of “gumbo”, a spicy stew of fish, meat and vegetables comes from French bouillabaisse; the rice dish jambalaya is similar to Spanish paella.

Other typically Southern dishes and ingredients include grits, biscuits, gravy (thickened with milk or cream), catfish, crawfish, cornbread, watermelon, green tomatoes, peaches and pecans. Typical beverages include sweetened or unsweetened ice tea and the popular cocktail, mint julep.

Fried chicken and other types of poultry as well as pork are also popular in Southern cuisine, especially in barbecued form. The same goes for deep-fried dishes, a direct influence from the cooking of slaves with a preference for frying everything in a lots of fat.

Over the last few decades, Southern cuisine has continued to spread across the rest of the U.S. and has even made its way over to Europe. One factor certainly contributing to this was the 1991 Jon Avnet movie, Fried Green Tomatoes, a singular homage to Southern cuisine.

Further information is available at http://southernfood.about.com