12 Foods Only Southerners Can Truly Appreciate
But do you prefer your hash browns smothered or covered? That's the REAL question.
There are certain truths to growing up south of the Mason-Dixon Line: Flip flops are acceptable year-round (and so is sipping sweet tea, for that matter), Sundays are for football and cookouts, and no amount of Citronella candles will ever protect you from all. Those. Mosquitos.
You've learned to take the Jeff Foxworthy wannabes and their "You might be a redneck ..." quips in stride, largely because you know that — like all places — you've got the good and the bad. But thankfully, you've also got the great. As in, undeniably great food. Nobody makes these dishes quite like the South.
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Biscuits
Pillsbury dough is fine and all, but refrigerated biscuits have nothin' on the from-scratch kind. Your biscuits should be tall, crumbly, buttery, and just a little salty. Oh, and ready to be completely smothered in sausage gravy.
Publix Subs
There's no better lunch to pack on your way to the beach. Bonus points if it's the chicken tenders variety.
Potato Salad
No cookout, picnic, or Girl Scout potluck is complete without it. It's always mayo-based, not vinegar, and everyone has the same secret ingredient: crumbled bacon. If you haven't tried it that way, you sure will now.
Sweet Tea
Unsweetened isn't even an option. You know you're in the South when a Big Gulp-sized chalice of this nectar of the gods is as ubiquitous as a Starbucks cup.
Pulled Pork
Or just barbecue in general. Pulled pork, brisket, and all the fixin's may have been popular nationwide over the past few years — and sure, it's pretty great in the Midwest — but nobody makes pulled pork like Georgia and the Carolinas.
Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwiches
Chick-Fil-A virgins are quick to balk at the sandwich's simplicity — boneless fried chicken, served with two pickle slices, on a bun — but one bite and they start looking at the world in a whole new light. (If you don't live within a three-hour drive of the fast food joint, our sincerest apologies. Hopefully you can get by with this copycat recipe.)
Boiled Peanuts
This mushy snack's a head-scratcher for most people, but if you're from the South, you get it: If you see that sign on the side of the road — you know the one, "Boiled P-nuts" in handwritten scrawl — you pull over, fast.
Try this slow cooker version at home.
Cheesy Grits
If they're so thick and cheesy you can stand a spoon in them, you're doing it right.
Baked Beans
They're the side that convinced you to love beans. Well, maybe not lima beans.
Brown sugar and a few chunks of bacon are an absolute must.
Waffle House Hash Browns
Smothered, covered, scattered, chunked, and/or topped — however you eat them (or if you go with all of the above) — you're dining right in our book. It's a road trip must-have to fuel you through the next 200 "Are we there yet?"s.
Chicken Fried Steak
Cubed steak, dredged and battered, then fried to crispy perfection. Everyone else can keep their filet mignon; when I'm missing home, there's nothing like this gravy-covered wonder to make me feel like I'm in my favorite place in the world.
Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Donuts
Florida Georgia Line's road-trip rule is worth following: When that Hot & Fresh sign is on, you better pull over.
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