12 Traditional Southern Dishes Still Loved Across Small Town America

Fried Chicken – The Crown Jewel of Southern Cooking

Fried chicken stands as the undisputed king of Southern cuisine, and its popularity shows no signs of waning across small towns throughout America. The food tops comfort food lists across the United States. The dish as Americans know it has its roots in the Southern states. What makes this dish so enduring is its perfect combination of crispy, seasoned coating and tender, juicy meat underneath.

In an industry where many restaurants are struggling, fried chicken chains are seeing growth – from the third quarter of 2023 to the same period in 2024, visits to these restaurants grew 4.3%. This remarkable growth isn’t just happening in big cities – small town diners and family restaurants across the South continue to serve their own special versions, often passed down through generations. Over the 17th and 18th centuries, Southerners borrowed, tweaked, and morphed traditional recipes from West African people who were enslaved to produce what would become the Kentucky-fried variety – and it is thought that Scottish immigrants played a heavy role in its inception as well.

Shrimp and Grits – From Coast to Heartland

Shrimp and grits is a traditional dish in the coastal communities in the South Carolina Lowcountry and Georgia’s Lower Coastal Plain. This humble dish has traveled far beyond its coastal origins to become a beloved staple in small towns across America. The creamy, corn-based grits provide the perfect backdrop for succulent shrimp, often enhanced with bacon, mushrooms, and a touch of hot sauce.

What’s fascinating about shrimp and grits is how it transformed from a simple breakfast dish for fishermen to a sophisticated menu item. Neal took a leave from Crook’s to work on a cookbook and hosted Claiborne in his kitchen, inspiring a profile in the Times about the young chef from Chapel Hill, as well as a recipe for Neal’s shrimp with cheese grits. Through the words of Claiborne’s story, and from behind the stove at Crook’s, the dish shot into the culinary mainstream, appearing on menus across the South almost instantly. Today, variations can be found in small town cafes from Oklahoma to Kentucky, each adding their own local twist.

Buttermilk Biscuits – Morning Comfort in Every Bite

Biscuits are a favorite Southern quick bread that takes little time to prepare since they don’t require yeast or proofing and get their rise from baking powder. These fluffy, buttery delights remain a morning staple across small town America, served alongside everything from sausage gravy to honey and jam. The art of biscuit making is still passed down from grandmother to granddaughter in many Southern households.

What makes buttermilk biscuits so special is their perfect balance of tang from the buttermilk and richness from the butter or lard. The first Bojangles opened in 1977 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and experienced a huge leap in popularity when co-founder Jack Fulk introduced biscuits to its menu, resulting in a 60% increase in sales. In small towns, you’ll often find the best biscuits at local cafes where they’re made fresh every morning, creating that perfect flaky exterior and tender interior that keeps locals coming back day after day.

Mac and Cheese – Soul Food Perfection

Southern-style mac and cheese is nothing like the boxed version most people know. This recipe for Southern-style mac and cheese is baked rather than made on the stovetop, meaning you can easily slice portions to serve. The combination of cheddar, mozzarella and gouda cheeses is accented by mustard and Cajun seasonings for a nice kick. The traditional Southern version is baked until golden and bubbly, creating a dish that’s both creamy and slightly crispy on top.

Southern Baked Mac and Cheese is a ridiculously creamy, cheesy, soulful baked mac and cheese brimming with great Southern flavors. Small town restaurants often serve this as a side dish that could easily be a meal on its own. The fast-food chain specializes in fried chicken, and it serves several Southern sides to go along with its fried bird, including baked mac and cheese, honey-butter biscuits, and fried okra. The key is using multiple types of cheese and often incorporating eggs to create that signature custard-like texture.

Cornbread – The Essential Side

After biscuits, cornbread is perhaps the definitive bread of the Southern United States. There are many versions of cornbread throughout the South, and some would argue that every cook has his or her own cornbread recipe they stand by. This golden bread serves as the perfect accompaniment to everything from chili to fried catfish, and debates about sweet versus savory versions can get quite heated in small Southern towns.

The beauty of cornbread lies in its simplicity and versatility. Cat Cora’s recipe leans more on the savory side and has a bit of tang from the addition of buttermilk. Whether it’s baked in a cast-iron skillet for that perfectly crispy crust or made as sweet corn muffins, this bread remains a cornerstone of Southern dining. Many small town cafes serve it warm with butter and honey, creating a simple pleasure that never goes out of style.

Barbecue – Regional Pride on a Plate

Barbecue is one of the South’s most famous culinary treasures, and there are many regional styles of barbecue from the whole-pig Carolina style to the white sauce-smothered Alabama style. Each small town seems to have its own barbecue joint with its own secret sauce recipe and loyal following. The slow-cooked, smoky meat represents more than just food – it’s a source of community pride and tradition.

The landscape of barbecue and grilling in America has evolved significantly, particularly in recent years. The popularity of outdoor cooking has surged, with a notable increase in grill ownership and usage among U.S. adults. From pulled pork in North Carolina to brisket in Texas, small town barbecue restaurants continue to draw visitors from far and wide. These establishments often become the heart of their communities, hosting local events and serving as gathering places where recipes and stories are shared across generations.

Collard Greens – Nutritious Tradition

Collard greens represent one of the most nutritious and historically significant dishes in Southern cuisine. Traditionally slow-cooked with ham hocks or bacon for hours, these hearty greens provide essential vitamins and minerals while delivering incredible flavor. The cooking liquid, known as “pot likker,” is often saved and eaten with cornbread, creating a meal that’s both economical and satisfying.

In small Southern towns, collard greens are often served at Sunday dinners and special occasions. If you are serving BBQ Shrimp and Grits for brunch or to company, you might want to round it out with one or more of these southern dishes: Southern Collard Greens, Southern Broccoli Salad, Old Fashioned Southern Ambrosia, Cornbread Salad, or Southern Fried Cabbage with Bacon. The dish connects modern diners to their ancestors and represents the ingenious ways Southern cooks transformed simple ingredients into soul-satisfying meals. Many families still gather to “pick greens” together, maintaining traditions that span generations.

Fried Green Tomatoes – Resourceful Southern Innovation

Fried tomatoes? Green tomatoes? These merged oddities are a popular favorite down south – much like most things battered and fried. This dish represents the resourceful nature of Southern cooking, turning unripened tomatoes into a crispy, tangy delicacy. The tradition likely began as a way to use up green tomatoes at the end of the growing season before the first frost.

Shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes and banana pudding are among the region’s singularly indulgent Southern comfort dishes Served with remoulade sauce or buttermilk ranch, fried green tomatoes offer a perfect balance of tart and savory flavors. Small town cafes and diners across the South still serve this iconic dish, often as an appetizer or side dish that transports diners back to simpler times. The crispy cornmeal coating contrasts beautifully with the firm, slightly sour tomato inside.

Red Beans and Rice – Monday Tradition

Red beans and rice holds special significance in Southern culture, particularly in Louisiana where it traditionally graced Monday dinner tables. This hearty, economical dish made perfect sense for wash day – the beans could simmer unattended while families tended to their laundry. The combination of protein-rich beans and rice creates a complete meal that’s both filling and flavorful.

Southern meals typically revolve around the meat-and-three format: a meat main dish with several vegetable side dishes. These veggies are usually simply prepared with just a little butter, salt and pepper. Red beans and rice fits perfectly into this tradition, often served as both vegetable and starch. Small town restaurants across the South continue this Monday tradition, serving steaming bowls of red beans ladled over white rice, often topped with smoky andouille sausage or ham for added richness.

Banana Pudding – Sweet Southern Comfort

Banana pudding stands as one of the South’s most beloved desserts, combining layers of vanilla wafers, fresh bananas, and creamy pudding topped with meringue or whipped cream. This dessert became popular in the early 20th century when vanilla wafers became widely available, and it quickly established itself as a church potluck and family gathering staple.

What makes banana pudding special is its perfect balance of textures and flavors – the soft bananas, crispy cookies that soften slightly in the pudding, and the smooth, vanilla-scented custard. Small town diners and cafes across the South still make this dessert from scratch, often serving it in individual mason jars or traditional glass dishes. The dessert improves with time as the flavors meld together, making it perfect for family gatherings where it can be prepared ahead of time.

Sweet Tea – Liquid Hospitality

Sweet tea isn’t just a beverage in the South – it’s a way of life and a symbol of hospitality. The drink is prepared by adding sugar to hot tea, then chilling it until ice-cold. This method ensures the sugar dissolves completely, creating a smooth, sweet refreshment that perfectly complements spicy and savory Southern dishes.

Three-quarters of the grits sold in the U.S. are bought in the South, in an area stretching from Lower Texas to Washington, D.C., that is sometimes called the “grits belt”. Like grits, sweet tea has its own geographic region of devotion. Small town cafes and restaurants across the South serve sweet tea in large glasses filled with ice, and many establishments are judged by the quality of their tea. The phrase “sweet tea or unsweet?” is as common as asking about the weather, and many Southerners consider properly made sweet tea an art form.

Peach Cobbler – Summer in a Bowl

Peaches are one of the things that Southerners look forward to the most in the summer. While Georgia is famous for its sweet, juicy peaches, this fruit abounds throughout the South. Peach cobbler is a favorite way to prepare this summer fruit, enhancing the flavor of the peaches with a light batter. This rustic dessert captures the essence of Southern summers in every spoonful.

Unlike its more refined cousin, peach pie, cobbler embraces a homestyle approach with a biscuit-like topping that’s dropped over sweetened peaches. The result is a dessert that’s both elegant and down-to-earth, perfect for church suppers and family reunions. Small town restaurants across the South serve peach cobbler warm, often topped with vanilla ice cream that melts into the sweet peach juices. Each April, Madison heralds the blooming azaleas and dogwoods of spring with · Madison Fest, a daylong garden and crafts celebration featuring live music, an artisan market, and an open air paint out. Many towns celebrate their peach harvests with festivals where cobbler takes center stage.

These twelve traditional Southern dishes continue to thrive in small town America because they represent more than just food – they’re edible connections to history, family, and community. Each dish tells a story of resourcefulness, tradition, and the enduring power of comfort food to bring people together around the dinner table.