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

See Examples For:

soul food

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

In the last few years, the entertainment industry has shifted toward covering enslaved people’s artistic and culinary creations, as in the Netflix soul food documentary series “High on the Hog.”

From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2026

“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 two of them sat in Jack’s parlor and talked into the night while Jack cooked big plates of soul food, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato pies, and biscuits for us.

From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride