In modern-day America, the term "soul food" simply means African-American cuisine. In order to appreciate the meaning of "soul food", you must recognize the traditional foods of Africa.

Many commonplace American foods are also native to the African continent. Various grains, leafy green vegetables, yams, watermelon, okra and pumpkins have been a staple of the African diet for thousands of years. In the 14th century, European explorers brought a supply of their own food with them and introduced them to the African diet. Common foods such as turnips and cabbage originated in Mediterranean coastal areas and became an integral part of African-American cuisine. The African diet consisted mostly of vegetables, although seafood was added when available. Meat was scarce. Simplicity was the key to African cooking. Vegetables were steamed using leaves as a steamer, or boiled in water. The most common African meal consisted of leafy vegetables, with rice, and chicken, when available. This resulted in a delicious and healthy diet.

Then, in the early 1400s, slave trading began. In the horrific conditions aboard the slaves ships, the newly enslaved Africans who survived lived on small portions of rice and beans, with an occasional piece of fruit or vegetable. A concoction of rotten fish and old beef called "slabber sauce" was added to the rice and beans in a half-hearted attempt to satisfy the nutritional needs of the captives. It was during the days of early slave trading that indeginous African foods made their appearance on the American continent.

These foods thrived in the rich soil of the American south and soon became an important part of the slaves' diet. African slaves actually had a healthier diet than did the slave owners. The owners ate foods high in fat and cholesterol with little or no vegetables. Their over-consumption of sugar and alcohol made them listless. As the slaves needed to be strong and energetic to work long hours of back-breaking labor, they were encouraged to eat large vegetarian meals. The vegetables consisted of the throwaway foods from the plantation house. The tops of turnips, dandelion greens and beets, as well as new types of greens such as collards, kale, mustard and pokeweed were combined with a lot of lard from the slaughtered hogs and cracklin' from its skin. This made a filling meal and a sufficient supply of energy. On most plantations, weekly rations of molasses, corn meal and a few pound of meat were given to the slaves. The women turned the corn meal into a bread, while the meat (ham hocks, pig's feet, tripe, chitterlings, pig ears, hog jowls and cracklin') became the main dish with large portions of greens.

When slaves entered the plantation house as cooks, the slave diet evolved with an array of new ingredients. Slave cooks were soon preparing delicious new foods for their masters. Fried chicken and sweet potatoes soon appeared on the masters' tables. Local fruits such as apples and peaches became delicious desserts. Opossum was the most readily available meat for slaves, as hunting was only permitted after the day's labor was completed, usually late at night. Soul food was good wholesome food that used everything that was available; nothing was wasted. Leftover fish became croquettes. Stale bread became bread pudding.

In January 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation signaled the migration of former slaves to other parts of the country. Black cooks were soon working in the train kitchens, hotels, and in the homes of wealthy and middle class whites. This brought southern black cuisine into the mainstream of American culture.

In the 1960's, with the emergeance of the Civil Rights Movement, the term "soul" was used in connection with the black community. Someone coined the term "soul food" and it became part of Americana.

In the twenty-first century, when most people think of soul food, it is a table with a lot of fried chicken, ribs, watermelon, greens and sweet potatoes. Hogshead cheese. Carrot and raisin salad. Hush puppies. Crab cakes. Fried corn. Red beans and rice. Liver and onions. Greens. Butter beans with ham hocks. Stewed okra and tomatoes. Fried catfish. Smothered chicken. Pickled pig's feet. Cornbread dipped in buttermilk. Neckbones. Fried cabbage. Chittlin's. Gumbo. Tripe. Breaded pork chops with a mess of greens. Black-eyed peas and grits. The aroma of soul food can fill the house and let the neighbors know that someone's eating well tonight.

In your quest for the best soul food restaurant, keep one thing in mind: If you walk by, and the smell of Mama's cookin' greets you at the door, you've found the right place.