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16 Thanksgiving Recipes You'll Only Find in the South

Time to dig in, y'all!

Food, Ingredient, Cuisine, Dish, Recipe, Dessert, Pie, Baked goods, Leaf vegetable, Tart,

In the South, Thanksgiving means three things: Family, football and, most importantly—food. If you're lucky enough to celebrate Thanksgiving below the Mason-Dixon line, you'll probably find a few of these delicious—and unique—dishes on your dinner table.

1

Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs

deviled eggs
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Good luck finding an appetizer spread in the South that doesn't have deviled eggs in it. Make them even more Southern by making them with pimento cheese.

Get the recipe.

2

Buttermilk Biscuits

buttermilk biscuits
Christopher Testani

Biscuits > dinner rolls. Unless they're Sister Schubert's Rolls, of course.

Get the recipe.

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3

Sweet Potato Casserole

Brown, Food, Cuisine, Ingredient, Recipe, Dish, Pattern, Dessert, Snack, Baked goods,
Ed Anderson

Sweet potatoes are a Southern staple, but taste even better with a gooey layer of marshmallows on top, like this recipe from the B.T.C. Old-Fashioned Grocery in Water Valley, Mississippi.

Get the recipe.

4

Bacon Everything

Southern Thanksgiving Food
Getty Images

No matter what you eat in the South on Thanksgiving it's likely to have a little bit of bacon added to it—the green beans, the sweet potatoes, the Brussels sprouts. You name it, it's in there.

Get the recipe.

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5

Sweet Tea

Southern Thanksgiving Food
Getty Images

It's even tastier when it's spiked with bourbon.

Get the recipe at Deep South Dish.

6

Deep-Fried Turkey

Southern Thanksgiving Food
Getty Images

While the deep-fried turkey craze has extended well beyond the Mason-Dixon line, fried things are inherently Southern.

Get the how-to at Popular Mechanics.

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7

Cornbread Dressing

Southern Thanksgiving Food
Getty Images

It's not stuffing, it's dressing. And it tastes even better with a dollop of giblet gravy on top.

Get the recipe at Deep South Dish.

8

Oyster Dressing

Southern Thanksgiving Food
Getty Images

Also known as scalloped oysters or oyster casserole, this seafood dish likely has its roots in coastal places like New Orleans and North Carolina but is so popular that people as far inland as Kentucky serve it every year for the holidays.

Get the recipe at the Joy of Cooking.

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9

Green Bean Casserole

Southern Thanksgiving Food
Getty Images

This classic Southern side dish is baked in a creamy mushroom sauce and topped with crispy fried onions.

Get the recipe from Food Network.

10

Sweet Potato Pie

Southern Thanksgiving Food
Joy The Baker

Pumpkin pie is often overlooked in favor of sweet potato pie at dessert tables in the South.

Get the recipe at Joy The Baker.

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11

Collard Greens

Southern Thanksgiving Food
Simply Recipes

These rich smoky greens studded with bits of pork are a go-to vegetable side dish in the South.

Get the recipe at Simply Recipes.

12

Mac and Cheese

Southern Thanksgiving Food
Oh Sweet Basil

While mac and cheese is an everyday favorite across America, you're unlikely to find it on the Thanksgiving table in places like California or New York. But in many Southern households, you'll find it right there next to the mashed potatoes on turkey day.

Get the recipe at Oh Sweet Basil.

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13

Caramel Cake

Southern Thanksgiving Food
Grandbaby Cakes

While pie usually takes center stage on the Southern dessert table, you'll often find a towering caramel cake there too. Be sure to save room for a slice.

Get the recipe at Grandbaby Cakes.

14

Corn Pudding

Southern Thanksgiving Food
Southern Bite

Also called corn spoonbread, this easy-to-make side dish is always a crowd pleaser.

Get the recipe at Southern Bite.

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15

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Southern Thanksgiving Food
Spicy Southern Kitchen

The name is misleading—this strawberry jello, cream cheese and pretzel concoction is definitely a dessert and in no way a salad. But who wants salad on Thanksgiving anyway?

Get the recipe at Spicy Southern Kitchen.

16

Fat Man's Delight

Southern Thanksgiving Food
Chocolate, Chocolate and More

This delicious dessert (with a terrible name) is made from four layers of pecans, cheesecake, chocolate pudding and Cool Whip. Yum!

Get the recipe at Chocolate, Chocolate and More.

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