What is Soul Food?
Are you looking for authentic soul food in San Diego? Look no further than Felix’s BBQ With Soul! Felix, our founder, grew up in Alabama, so it’s important to us that we never serve anything less than the best soul food.
Now, you’re probably familiar with the term soul food, but what actually constitutes this cuisine? We’ll be discussing soul food’s origins, fundamentals, and the most common soul food dishes. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know to be a soul food expert!
All About Soul Food
Soul food is a cuisine that originated in the African American community of the Southern United States. Although the term was first seen in print in 1964 during the rise of the Black pride movement, soul food has its roots in traditional Southern cooking, which goes back much farther.
Soul food got its start in rural Southern home cooking, which made use of locally raised or gathered foods along with other inexpensive ingredients. This is exactly what the term is meant to celebrate: the resourcefulness and skill of Southern cooks who created a distinctive food culture in spite of limited resources.
Soul Food Fundamentals
Corn is a soul food staple that’s used to make a variety of dishes, like cornbread, hoecakes, hush puppies, and hominy grits. Biscuits are also a staple, as they’re one of the most popular forms of bread. Although rice is a typical side dish, it’s especially popular in the Carolinas and Louisiana. Sweetening for soul food is most commonly provided by molasses and syrup made from sorghum.
Chicken and pig also appear in many dishes and their inclusion likely goes back to the fact that these animals could easily be raised on small farms without requiring special feed. Because of this, soul food has traditionally made use of just about every part of the pig. It can be found in dishes in the form of fatback or bacon, lard is used as shortening and for frying, and even the less desirable cuts are used. Pig’s tails, feet, ribs, ears, jowls, hocks, liver, and chitlins are also typical in soul food dishes.
Of course, barbecuing is a soul food specialty as well, with different regions personalizing their barbecue with different sauces and seasonings.
Other soul food essentials include catfish, vegetables with African origins like okra, sweet potatoes, greens, cabbage, and beans. Hot sauce is also a commonly used condiment.
Common Soul Food Dishes
We’ve discussed the most common foods using in soul food cooking, here are some of the most common dishes they’re used for:
- Fried chicken
- Beef short ribs
- Macaroni and cheese
- Potato salad
- Fried fish (most commonly catfish)
- Black-eyed peas
- Cornbread
- Peach cobbler
- Sweet potato pie
- Sweet potato cheesecake
Find all of these dishes and more on our menu!
Enjoy Soul Food in San Diego at Felix’s BBQ With Soul
If you’re looking for soul food in San Diego, all of these staples and more can be found on the menu at any of our four Felix’s BBQ With Soul locations!
Our founder, Felix, grew up in Alabama, so he knows what customers expect when they come to us for their soul food favorites. This is why we’re committed to providing every customer that walks through our doors with an authentic experience. Apart from the Southern hospitality and charm we strive to provide every customer with, we only serve the highest quality BBQ and soul food. This is why our food isn’t until it’s been ordered. This may require a bit longer of a wait time from our customers, but believe us when we tell you it’s worth the wait!
At Felix’s BBQ With Soul, we also believe that meals are made better when they’re enjoyed with your favorite people, so we welcome you to visit us either in Oceanside, Carlsbad, San Marcos, or Lake Elsinore. Our goal isn’t just to provide you with great food, but the experience that we believe should come with enjoying BBQ and Soul Food as well. We want you to feel just as comfortable here as you would be at home! Order online today or come see us in person.