soul food

[ sohl food ]

noun

1. traditional African American cooking, originally developed by enslaved Black people in the rural South and including such foods as chitterlings, pig’s feet, collard greens, and cornbread:

   The cuisine of New Orleans is heavily influenced by Creole and Cajun cooking as well as soul food.

   Soul food is grounded in the ways African Americans have always fashioned a way out of no way, taking scraps and creating a food tradition that has stood the test of time.

2. the traditional cooking of a specified culture:

   Kimchi, the magical soul food of Korea, is popular worldwide.

   We talked with the restaurant’s founders about Ashkenazi soul food and the misunderstood gefilte fish.

soul food

noun

1. informal.
   food, such as chitterlings or yams, traditionally eaten by Black people in the southern US

Other Words From

• soul-food adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of soul food¹

An Americanism dating back to 1960–65

Example Sentences

Her husband, a chef from a more affluent background, is opening an upscale soul food restaurant in the midtown area.

From Los Angeles Times

Access to public lands is soul food for outdoor-minded city dwellers like me, not to mention the right of every American.

From Los Angeles Times

Saturdays are usually busy days for Alma’s Place, a soul food restaurant in Compton across from the city’s courthouse.

From Los Angeles Times

“It’s like the way that we talk about how Black people got the worst of the food as slaves and they made soul food,” Penny said.

From Los Angeles Times

Make your next weekend brunch memorable with these picks from the 101 Best Restaurants guide, including a Levantine option in Long Beach, soul food in Mid-City, modern Mexican in the Arts District and more.

From Los Angeles Times