African American cooking traditions of the South

Southern Cuisine Quiz: Can You Get 8 Out of 10?

Shrimp and grits began as a simple Lowcountry fishermen's breakfast before becoming a Charleston restaurant star, and this southern cuisine quiz explores the dishes that shaped the American South. Learn the African roots of okra and black-eyed peas, Nashville hot chicken and the biscuit traditions of Appalachia.

Start Southern Cuisine Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Grits
What are grits made from?
Charleston
Which city made shrimp and grits famous?
Okra
Where did okra originally come from?
Hot chicken
Which city is famous for hot chicken?
Hoppin John
When is Hoppin' John traditionally eaten for luck?
Collards
What are collard greens often cooked with?
Biscuits
What is usually served with Southern biscuits?
Sweet tea
What is the South's signature cold drink?
Soul food
What is soul food?
Cornbread
Do Southern cooks traditionally add sugar to cornbread?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: What are grits made from?
Answer: Ground corn
Hominy grits use nixtamalized corn.
Q2: Which city made shrimp and grits famous?
Answer: Charleston
It began as a fishermen's breakfast.
Q3: Where did okra originally come from?
Answer: West Africa
Enslaved Africans brought it to the South.
Q4: Which city is famous for hot chicken?
Answer: Nashville
Prince's Hot Chicken is legendary.
Q5: When is Hoppin' John traditionally eaten for luck?
Answer: New Year's Day
It includes black-eyed peas and rice.
Q6: What are collard greens often cooked with?
Answer: Smoked pork
The cooking liquid is called pot likker.
Q7: What is usually served with Southern biscuits?
Answer: Sausage gravy
Biscuits and gravy is a breakfast classic.
Q8: What is the South's signature cold drink?
Answer: Sweet tea
It is brewed strong and sugary.
Q9: What is soul food?
Answer: African American cooking traditions of the South
The term spread in the 1960s.
Q10: Do Southern cooks traditionally add sugar to cornbread?
Answer: Often not
Northern versions are sweeter.

Southern Cuisine Quiz – Comfort and Heritage

Southern cuisine grew from Native American, African, European and Caribbean traditions. Corn, pork, greens, rice and beans became staples, and enslaved Africans brought ingredients like okra and black-eyed peas and many cooking techniques.

Iconic dishes include fried chicken, biscuits and gravy, shrimp and grits from Charleston's Lowcountry, collard greens cooked with smoked pork and Hoppin' John eaten on New Year's Day for luck. Nashville hot chicken adds fiery spice.

Soul food celebrates African American cooking traditions, and Southern hospitality often includes sweet tea and cornbread. Chefs today honor these roots while bringing new ideas, making Southern food one of America's most influential cuisines.

What This Quiz Teaches

Food lovers and history fans will enjoy these questions.

What grits are
Where shrimp and grits come from
Which ingredients came from Africa
Which dishes bring luck
What soul food means

Did You Know?

Pecan pie is a Southern favorite.
Fried green tomatoes are Southern.
Pimento cheese is called Southern pâté.
Boiled peanuts are a roadside snack.
Red-eye gravy uses coffee.