Good Southern Food Everyone Should Try

There are some things that are just native to the south, that no matter where you live, you should try. Feel free to add to the list, in case I missed something. :)

1. Grits--Made the way grits were intended to be made, with salt and (real) butter. Even better if you have them with bacon or sausage, eggs and biscuits.

2. Red hot dogs--Wikipedia has this to say about NC hot dogs. (Scroll down the page to find the NC part.) They are definitely the best.

3. Collards--Part of the thing about collards is they have to be cooked the right way...usually with a ham hock or some fatback. (I know, I know--what an unhealthy thing to do to a vegetable. But I don't want to hear about it. It's delicious!)

4. Chicken and Pastry--This is a lot like chicken and dumplings only instead of dumplings there is something that resembles a lasagna noodle, only tastier.

5. Sonkers--This is very much like a cobbler. The name sonker is only found in a small area of the foothills, but means much the same thing. Basically you add the fruit last and let the cakey part rise around the fruit. Strawberry is delicious, although I like the tartness from a blackberry or raspberry one.

6. BBQ--There is eastern and western style BBQ and they are extremely different, but both are wonderful and famous in their own right. Eastern style is more vinegary, for Western style try Lexington, NC for a sample.

7. Sweet Potato Pie--If you don't like this, you probably just didn't get the right recipe. Made the "right" way, nothing beats it, especially in the fall.

This is just a small sampling of NC and Southern cuisine. To me its the best thing in the world!!!