Some people label Southern food as being weird before they actually even try it. Unfortunately, outsiders think the name sounds a little strange, or perhaps they think the texture looks odd, and they’ll then write the whole list off as a result. It doesn’t matter how hard you try to convince them that it’s good. They’ve made up their minds. Here are nine Southern dishes that outsiders judge way too quickly, and perhaps they shouldn’t.
1. Boiled peanuts
Outsiders who are used to eating roasted snacks tend to think that boiled peanuts sound like a mistake. However, they’re most certainly not. You can make them by simmering fresh green peanuts in some salt water and waiting until they’re soft. This dish is actually something that food historians at Southern Living traced to African cooking traditions that eventually came to the South.
That’s one of the reasons it’s mostly a Southern snack. But the taste throws off a lot of outsiders, as the texture is a lot closer to beans than crunchy nuts, so people outside the South are surprised that they’re eating something tender & briny. They’re expecting the nuts to be more of a dry snack.
2. Okra
The bad reputation that okra gets comes mostly from its texture, and food scientist Bryan Le has explained that cooked okra releases something called mucilage. This is a natural plant fiber that becomes thicker when it gets hot. That gives okra its slimy texture, and it’s something that’s a little too much for some foreigners because they can’t stand the texture.
In some cases, cooks will actually use that texture to thicken gumbo, but many outsiders would rather not try it at all. They don’t understand how delicious okra can actually be because they immediately judge the sliminess.
3. Chitlins
Sure, chitlins don’t exactly sound like the most appetizing of foods, as they’re made from cleaned pig intestines that are simmered slowly. Some cooks also fry them afterward. However, a lot of outsiders criticize the dish because of the ingredients themselves, regardless of the fact that the cooking process is quite straightforward.
You simply boil them for a long time, add some seasoning & wait. According to Southern Living’s food writers, the dish emerged as a result of historical pork preparation traditions. It comes from a time when people used every part of the animal to cook. Essentially, chitlins help people to avoid food waste, and that’s never a bad thing.
4. Livermush
That’s not all for pork. Livermush is a dish that’s quite common in North Carolina, and it’s a kind of loaf made from pork liver, meat scraps, cornmeal & spices. Cooks will slice and fry all of these together. Originally, livermush came from similar pork preservation methods to chitlins, although livermush is more like scrapple or liver pudding.
Yet many outsiders decide they’re not going to eat the dish as soon as they hear the name. It seems too extreme for them. Sadly, they don’t tend to recognize how good livermush can be, or how we commonly eat it like a breakfast patty on toast or a sandwich.
5. Tomato gravy
The name “tomato gravy” is what really confuses a lot of outsiders, and they’re even more confused when they see the dish itself. They think it looks like pasta sauce. However, Southerners know that it works more like a traditional gravy, made from fat, flour & tomatoes simmered together.
It’s something that you’ll have with biscuits or grits instead of pasta. But many outsiders don’t know that, and they immediately dislike the dish because they think it doesn’t look like an appetizing pasta sauce. It’s not trying to be one.
6. Ambrosia salad
Ambrosia isn’t exactly a leafy salad, but rather, it’s made from fruit, coconut, marshmallows & a creamy dressing, all mixed together. Food writer Heidi Larsen traced its history to Southern gatherings in the early 20th century. During that time, canned citrus fruits became widely available, leading to the creation of Ambrosia salad.
But many people outside the South don’t understand that. They see all those sweet ingredients and feel confused since they’re not sure what kind of flavor they should be expecting. After all, there’s nothing quite like Ambrosia salad outside of the South.
7. Frog legs
Yes, frog legs can make some people hesitate before they’ve even read the rest of the menu. It’s not the kind of food you’ll be used to, unless you grew up around the Gulf Coast or with Cajun cooking. But they’re more delicious than they sound. Cooks will normally season them before breading & frying them, or cooking them in butter with garlic for extra taste.
The dish came from French cuisine, according to food historian Jessica B. Harris, making it one of the many international Louisiana dishes. In fact, the French influences taught people to use local wildlife for their meals, rather than relying solely on farm animals. But a lot of people judge the dish because of the animal itself.
8. Fried green tomatoes
It’s common for outsiders to judge fried green tomatoes because they assume that someone must’ve picked the tomatoes too early. But the truth is that Southern cooks deliberately choose firm & unripe tomatoes. These tomatoes hold onto their shape once you slice them and cover them in cornmeal or flour, so they’re far better than the red variety.
Interestingly, fried green tomatoes were in American cookbooks long before they became exclusively Southern, according to food historian Robert Moss. But they eventually became something that’s only really eaten in the South, and that’s why many outsiders are unfamiliar with them.
9. Chicken gizzards
Let’s get one thing out of the way. Yes, chicken gizzards are effectively a kind of organ meat, and that’s enough to turn many outsiders off because they assume it’ll be strange or tough to eat. But it’s really not. You braise & fry the organs to keep them tender, and they actually end up tasting quite good.
Unfortunately, a lot of people outside of the South reject the dish straight away because of the name. They don’t even look to see what’s on the plate or whether they actually like it. The name alone is too much of a turn-off for them.
The issue with a lot of these dishes for outsiders is the fact that their names don’t match what they’re expecting. They’re not used to peanuts that aren’t crunchy or salad that’s more of a dessert. However, once they understand how the cooking methods work, a lot of outsiders tend to react a little differently, and they begin to understand how creative & delicious Southern dishes can actually be.
