The Bayou City is a place that loves its flavor, community and tradition, and few cuisines capture all three quite like the soul food Houston holds dear. After all, it doesn’t get much better than gathering around a table heaped with crispy fried chicken, smoky collard greens and sweet potato pie, all made with heart and history.
At Food Town, we’re proud to help bring those flavors home, whether you’re a lifelong soul food fan or just discovering what it’s all about. Join our foodies as we do a deep dive into everything from soul food’s historic origins to beloved dishes you won’t want to miss and ways your neighborhood Food Town supports your culinary journey. Let’s get to it!
Though Delish notes that the term “soul food” gained widespread recognition in the 1960s, its roots run much deeper. The cuisine, which celebrates African‑American culture and identity — and is often passed down from one generation to the next — reaches back to the time of slavery in the American South. So, what is soul food?
The Spruce Eats website describes soul food as down-home cooking that focuses on staples such as greens, pork, hush puppies and beans. Enslaved individuals, many of whom brought cooking traditions with them from their home countries, made comforting, nourishing meals out of whatever ingredients they had available. Pork, for instance, was used in countless ways — from ribs and feet which made for hearty meals to rendered fat which aided in cooking and even organs, which could be made into chitlins. You might say soul food was the original start to the “nose to tail” culinary mindset.
Following emancipation, soul food gained a foothold in the U.S. As freed individuals moved northward during the Great Migration, they carried their recipes and sense of culture with them. As such, soul food became a source of pride, anchoring Black families and communities in areas spanning from Chicago to New York and right here in Houston.
As with any cuisine, soul food is as varied as it is inventive. The flavors and approaches you’ll find in one region will differ from those in another — and every family has treasured recipes. Although we’ve already touched on a few of the most common types of soul food today, we’ve just scratched the surface. Let’s dig a little deeper into a few main dishes most likely to grace the table at a soul food meal.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a relative newbie or you’ve got soul food in your blood. Your neighborhood store is all about helping you source the best ingredients, tap into big, bold flavors and fill your table with soul food fixings the whole family will love. Here’s how.
We hope this blog helped shed some light on soul food’s rich history, tasty options — and all the ways your Food Town is here to help you add soul to your meals. Ready to roll up your sleeves and try cooking up your own soul food, Houston? We can’t wait to see you! Stop by your neighborhood store soon to scoop up every tasty ingredient for less.
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