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the south. For instance, slaves who prepared foods for the master's table had to prepare the "better" parts of a ham or chicken for the big house and often found themselves eating the parts of the animal that the master and his family and guests did not care to eat, such as the guts, skin, feet, neck and "cock's comb" (that red thing hanging off a rooster's neck). Yepmy grandpa, who lived to be 98said they often ate that, too. Fried. With brown gravy. The slaves had to find ways to improvise on what was given, so they found ways to dress it up and make it taste good.

While it is true that much of soul food was prepared from poorer quality foods that were essentially "throw-outs" (in much the same manner as the slaves themselves would "slop" a hog or feed a dog by giving it table scraps), over time the quality got better. These days, soul food is made from much higher quality meats, as well as fresher produce, than the times in which it was derived.

Methods of preparation

African-Americans, just as did many white settlers, adapted much of their food prep and cooking methods from Native American tribes, particularly the Cherokee. Cooking in large community pots and digging pits for underground overnight roasting of pigs are still common ways of cooking for larger crowds in the Deep South. Also adapted were many methods of canning and preserving foods for the long hard winters ahead when little was available, this is how "pickling" and jar foods came into existence. Other methods, such as soaking, basting, and marinating different foods for flavoring also came from the Native Americans; however, it is important to remember that Africans imported to America
from the Motherland did not routinely eat raw foods. African people were traditionally taught as youth the importance of using moist heat to keep meats tender and juicy, and of using many different kinds of spices or rubs to enhance the coloring and flavor on what may have been otherwise considered as "bland" unappetizing foods.

The Culture of Soul Food Cooking

A well-known saying is that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. People often use food and the way it is prepared as an expression of love for those for whom it is cooked. We often show either our love or hatred of persons by the way we prepare and present our meals and dishes. It is called a "labor of love" to put much time and expense into meal times, including dressing and garnishing the tables and plates used when entertaining.

The movie

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