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

Derived Forms

• soul-food
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of soul food

An Americanism dating back to 1960–65

Example Sentences

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

From Salon • Mar. 8, 2026

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 • Dec. 19, 2025

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 • Sep. 3, 2025

Shy as a child, he had grown up to be outgoing and witty, a person who loved to cook soul food and make dance videos with his sister and post them on Instagram.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 3, 2025

I wonder how it tastes, wonder if anything that looks this fancy can still taste how soul food is supposed to taste.

From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson