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

Etymology

Origin of soul food

An Americanism dating back to 1960–65

Example Sentences

His Place Eatery – His Place Eatery is a soul food and BBQ restaurant with two locations in Indianapolis.

From Salon

In part, it’s a time capsule, recording the rise in the popularity of soul food, especially in northern cities, that was coincident with the Second Great Migration happening during this period.

From The Wall Street Journal

Everyone who worked at the Greenbrier, everyone who came home from college, everyone who went to church or wanted soul food for dinner came over our way.

From Literature

The culturally rich Black-majority city is also home to plenty of Black-owned restaurants, serving up everything from soul food, Burundian and Nigerian cuisines to sandwiches and steaks.

From Salon

It involves going to a soul food brunch spot after church with his family, practicing his swing at a driving range and hosting a game night.

From Los Angeles Times