soul food

American  

[sohl food] / ˈsoʊl ˌfud /

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.

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soul food British  

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• soul-food
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of soul food

An Americanism dating back to 1960–65

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

soul food

Then they drive off for a soul food breakfast.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

Fans have suggested Native American food, soul food, hot dogs and fast-food chains.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Burdell, an upscale restaurant serving nostalgic soul food, is the latest to be caught in contentious online debates about the U.S. tip culture.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026

“It’s more like soul food from your cellar,” he says.

From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2026

Before heading to the theater, we got dinner at a fancy soul food restaurant where I had the best cornbread I’ve ever tasted.

From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks

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