Can You Name These Soul Food Dishes?

By: Kennita Leon
Estimated Completion Time
2 min
Can You Name These Soul Food Dishes?
Image: Shutterstock

About This Quiz

If you know anything about the history of "soul food, you'll know that the phrase wasn't very well known until the 1960s. It was a time when civil rights movements were popular and Black nationalists found their voices and wanted to keep their traditions, legacy and culture alive. So when terms like "soul music," "soul sister (and brother)" popped up, it was only a matter of time until the word "soul" was put in front of the word "food."

While soul food uses many recipes used by slaves, it is also food that has been cooked by African Americans living in the southern states, where slavery was more common. This kind of cuisine, while basic, is special because it is made with love, feeling and of course, lots and lots of flavors. It doesn't need fancy ingredients like foie gras, but instead uses staples that can be found in almost any home, such as beans, greens, fish and chicken.

What we want to test today is whether you know enough about soul food to name all of the items we've included in this quiz. Were you the one watching your grandmother toil over a pot of gumbo or jambalaya? Or were you too busy playing outside to correctly identify some red beans if we showed you a picture of them? Let's find out how well you know your soul food. 

Creamed Corn
Shutterstock
Which dish is this?
Creamed corn
Inherited from Native Americans, creamed corn may be home-made or store-bought. It is sometimes referred to as soup due to its partially pureed state.
Tuna melt sandwich
Jell-O
Tenderloin sandwich
Red Beans And Rice
PBJVintageCookingVidz1 via Youtube
Which dish is this?
Fried catfish
Red beans and rice
A dish most popular in Louisiana, red beans and rice was traditionally served on Mondays. The beans were prepared using leftover meat from Sunday.
Meatloaf
Fried cheese curds
Hot Links
Shutterstock
Which dish is this?
Hot links
Made using both pork and beef, hot link sausages are just that, hot. Additional ingredients include spices, red pepper, flakes, cayenne pepper and paprika.
Fried alligator
Raw oysters
Fried cheese curds

Advertisement

Lima beans
n/a
Which dish is this?
Lobster roll
Philly cheesesteak
Lima beans
Also known as butter beans due to their buttery texture, lima beans were first exported to the United States from Lima, Peru.
Biscuit
Deal Caramel Cake
grandbabycakes via Youtube
Which dish is this?
Caramel cake
Despite being tedious to make, caramel cakes are a highly praised delicacy. A moist yellow cake is smothered with a rich caramel frosting to create this classic.
Tenderloin sandwich
Chili
Burrito
potato salad
Shutterstock
Which dish is this?
Hotdog
Chili
Twinkies
Potato salad
Believed to have been adopted by early German settlers in the United States, there are a few variations to the potato salad.

Advertisement

fried fish
Shutterstock
Which dish is this?
Pizza
Fried fish
The favorite southern platter of fried fish is prepared worldwide. It is especially popular in Great Britain where it is served with fries, or chips, as they call them.
Pastrami
Hamburger
Fried Chicken
n/a
Which dish is this?
Raw oysters
Hotdog
Twinkies
Fried chicken
A well-liked dish among slaves during the American Civil War, Southern fried chicken is prepared by frying coated, seasoned pieces of chicken.
Sweet Potatoes
n/a
Which dish is this?
Fried cheese curds
Sweet potatoes
An ordinary staple for many, sweet potatoes are used in many southern soul food dishes, the most popular of which is candied sweet potato.
Fried alligator
PB & J sandwich

Advertisement

fatback
Shutterstock
Which dish is this?
Apple pie
Pizza
Hamburger
Fatback
Essentially, the back fat of a pig, fatback, is used to produce sausages, bacon, pork rinds and sometimes as part of a meal along with vegetables.
Jambalaya
n/a
Which dish is this?
Tuna melt sandwich
Jambalaya
A dish quite similar to gumbo, jambalaya originated in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is prepared in the same manner as gumbo but without the use of a thickener.
Jell-O
Fried catfish
Turnip
shutterstock
Which dish is this?
Lobster roll
Meatloaf
Turnip greens
When in peak season between October and February, turnips are often combined with chunks of meat to create turnip greens; only the leaves of the turnip are used.
Frybread tacos

Advertisement

Front Pork Hock
Shuttterstock
Which dish is this?
Raw oysters
Tuna melt sandwich
Twinkies
Ham hock
A primary source of distinct flavor in collard greens, beans and a few other southern dishes, the ham hock is made entirely of skin and ligaments and is found above the foot of a pig.
Gumbo
Shutterstock
Which dish is this?
Frybread tacos
Scrapple
Gumbo
Despite its name being derived from the Bantu word for 'okra,' gumbo can be made without it. Gumbo is commonly made using a dark roux as a substitute for okra, vegetables and seafood.
Fried alligator
Pecan Pie
Shutterstock
Which dish is this?
Tenderloin sandwich
Hotdog
Pecan pie
A common holiday dish, pecan pies are made using pecans, a nut native to the Southern United States. Additional ingredients include sugar, eggs, butter and vanilla.
Chili

Advertisement

Candied Yams
Cooking With Tammy via Youtube
Which dish is this?
Candied yams
A sweet delicacy, candied yams are made using garnet yams or sweet potatoes. They are sliced, bathed in a mixture of sugar and spices and then baked.
Fried catfish
Burrito
Pastrami
Mustard Greens
cookingguide via Youtube
Which dish is this?
Lobster roll
Biscuit
Pizza
Mustard greens
Mustard greens, like turnip greens, is prepared by combining the leaves of the mustard plant with meat bits and seasonings.
Crackling Bread
Meso Making It via Youtube
Which dish is this?
Burrito
Crackling bread
Crackling bread is made simply with cornmeal and crackling; crackling is a popular southern snack of fried pork rinds.
Pastrami
PB & J sandwich

Advertisement

Fried_pork_jowl
Dennis Brown via Wiki Commons
Which dish is this?
Apple pie
Philly cheesesteak
Hog jowl
Also known as pork jowl, hog jowl is smoked pork cheeks. It is sometimes prepared as bacon or stewed with beans and greens.
Meatloaf
Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.
Shutterstock
Which dish is this?
Tenderloin sandwich
Frybread tacos
Twinkies
Macaroni and cheese
A Sunday special not only of African-Americans but Caribbean residents as well, macaroni and cheese is a baked pie of macaroni, cheese and milk.
Peach Cobbler
Shutterstock
Which dish is this?
Peach cobbler
Often served with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream, peach cobblers are baked, crusted dishes with a peach filling.
Jell-O
Raw oysters
Fried catfish

Advertisement

sweet potato pie
Shutterstock
Which dish is this?
Sweet potato pie
A special at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, sweet potato pie made its first appearance in American kitchens during the colonial period.
Tuna melt sandwich
Scrapple
Fried alligator
red drink kool aid
Shutterstock
Which dish is this?
Jell-O
Red drink
With a long history tracing back to West Africa and slavery, red drink is considered "liquid soul." Originally made using hibiscus petals, the drink is now made using powders, such as Kool-Aid.
Fried alligator
Sweet tea
hush puppies
Shutterstock
Which dish is this?
Hot dog
Chili
Hushpuppies
Primarily a side-dish, hushpuppies accompany seafood and other fried foods. They are made by deep-frying balls of cornmeal batter.
Pastrami

Advertisement

cornbread
Shutterstock
Which dish is this?
Cornbread
Cornbread is used widely to refer to any leavened bread made using cornmeal. It is deemed the foundation of Southern cuisine.
Pizza
Apple pie
Buffalo wings
pork ribs
Shutterstock
Which dish is this?
Frybread tacos
Pork ribs
As the name would suggest, pork ribs are the ribs of a pig. They are prepared by baking or grilling and are served in many restaurants.
Twinkies
Tenderloin sandwich
hog maw
Shutterstock
Which dish is this?
Hog maw
The external wall of a pig's stomach, hog maw is prepared by stewing, frying or baking. It is traditionally believed to affect prosperity; thus, it is eaten on New Year's Day.
Hamburger
Fried cheese curds
PB & J sandwich

Advertisement

Turkey Food
n/a
Which dish is this?
PB & J sandwich
Chili
Scrapple
Turkey
A must-have item on the Thanksgiving dinner menu, turkey is enjoyed for its tender, healthier meat.
PIG FEET
PBJVintageCookingVidz2 via Youtube
Which dish is this?
Pig feet
Once a delicacy in the United States, pig feet or pig trotters are best prepared by slow cooking to achieve tenderness.
Fried alligator
Meatloaf
Fried catfish
Hoe Cakes
Cookedbyjulie via Youtube
Which dish is this?
Lobster roll
Burrito
Philly cheesesteak
Hoecake
A cake made from cornmeal, hoecakes owe their name to their original form of preparation; being baked on the blade of a hoe.

Advertisement

hoppin john
Shutterstock
Which dish is this?
Hamburger
Hotdog
Hoppin' John
Hoppin' John, is a southern dish of black-eyed peas, rice and various veggies. It's a great lighter addition to a heavy Thanksgiving meal! Leave out any meat and it's vegetarian-friendly for those who prefer not to partake in turkey.
Pastrami
Okra
Shutterstock
Which dish is this?
Pizza
Fried cheese curds
Okra
Commonly known as ladies' fingers, okra is a thickener and main ingredient of the soul food dish, gumbo. It is the seed pod of the okra plant.
Meatloaf
Black-eyed peas
n/a
Which dish is this?
Black-eyed peas
A main ingredient in many soul food meals, black-eyed peas or goat peas were first cultivated in West Africa.
Tenderloin sandwich
Frybread tacos
Jell-O

Advertisement

Collard Greens
n/a
Which dish is this?
Tuna melt sandwich
Jell-O
Collard greens
Collards are short, leafy plants similar to kale and broccoli. In Southern cuisine, they are often prepared with onion, garlic, oil and meat.
Raw oysters
Chitterlings
Shutterstock
Which dish is this?
Chitterlings
Chitterlings are made from the small intestines of pigs. Their consumption dates back to the slavery period where they were fed to the slaves.
Burrito
Lobster roll
Philly cheesesteak
Grits
shutterstock
Which dish is this?
Grits
Originating in the southern United States, grits are a type of porridge made from boiling ground corn.
Scrapple
Pizza
Philly cheesesteak

Advertisement

Ox Tail
Shutterstock
Which dish is this?
Twinkies
Scrapple
Oxtail
Formally used to refer only to the tail of an ox, oxtail is now used when speaking of the tail of cattle. Because of its gelatin-rich composition, it is often used in soups and stews.
Tuna melt sandwich
Biscuits and Gravy
Shutterstock
Which dish is this?
Hamburger
PB & J sandwich
Biscuits
Not to be confused with what is known as a cookie, biscuits are baked products of flour and baking soda.
Fried cheese curds
Chicken fried steak
Shutterstock
Which dish is this?
Scrapple
Meatloaf
Chicken fried steak
Owing its name to its cooking style rather than ingredients, chicken fried steak contains no chicken. Instead, it is a breaded, fried steak.
Frybread tacos

Advertisement

Chicken Liver
soulfoodqueen.net via Youtube
Which dish is this?
Raw oysters
Fried catfish
Fried alligator
Chicken liver
Considered unpalatable to some, chicken liver is rich in iron and can be prepared tastily. It can be battered, deep-fried and used as pate fillings.
You Got:
/40
Shutterstock