Corella Daniels

The South's Most Iconic Dishes Corella Daniels

They say that New Orleanians come out of the womb knowing how to make red beans and rice; same goes for Kentuckians with burgoo. Though there are some that every Georgian, Mississippian, and Tennessean alike should know, we like to give certain regions their "thing," whether it be gumbo to Louisiana or chicken-fried steak to Texas. Really, Southern cooking is as diverse as those who cook it. Take the chicken-fried steak, for example. Even in the heart of Texas, This Mama and That Mama might live next door to each other, but they still argue over whether pepper-cream or red-eye goes over it. In almost every great memory we Southerners hold close, food was there. We'd bet large on that. From Hoppin' John to chicken and dumplings, these Southern food recipes deserve to be kept on the family table for generations to come. Disclaimer: For sanity's sake, we left out staples like buttermilk biscuits, cornbread, pimiento cheese, squash casserole, and potlikker greens. These are understood.