User:Nappingjewel12/Cuisine of the Southern United States

Article Draft
Many elements of Southern cooking—tomatoes, squash, corn (and its derivatives, such as hominy and grits), and deep-pit barbecuing—are borrowings from indigenous peoples of the region (e.g., Cherokee, Caddo, Choctaw, and Seminole). From the Old World, European colonists introduced sugar, flour, milk, eggs, and livestock, along with a number of vegetables; meanwhile, enslaved West Africans introduced black-eyed peas, okra, rice, eggplant, sesame, sorghum, melons, and various spices. Rice, in particular, was introduced through the slave ship of the Atlantic crossing. Rice is prominent in many dishes due to the familiarity of the crop from enslaved people; specifically, it became the backbone of early South Carolina economy and diet.

Article body - Fried Chicken
Coming from Africa, African Americans also brought their methods of frying foods with them. Frying was a common method for food preparation for slaves since it was quick and accessible.

During slavery in the 1800s, as the only animals slaves were allowed to own were yard chickens, African Americans began frying their chicken using the same methods they used to fry other foods. Later in the 1800s, before the Civil War, fried chicken could also be sold by enslaved people to raise money to buy their freedom. Soon, this led to the association of African-Americans in the South and fried chicken.

By region
Tennessee is known for its country ham and Memphis is known for several famous barbecue restaurants and a major barbecue cooking competition held in May. Memphis barbecue usually consists of pork and is distinct for its dry rub. No sauce is applied during the cooking process instead flavor is gained from the rub when cooking.