Southern food - fried squash
When Americans refer to southern food, they mean dishes and recipes traditional in the southern states of the U.S. In my opinion, these are among the very best American recipes. Why do I think this? Okay, I’ll admit I don’t look at southern food with an objective eye. I’m a southerner, from an old southern family. We have a strong heritage that’s rich in traditions and customs, like most southern families. We’re proud of our history and of our food, and we enjoy introducing others to these delicacies and sharing our bounty.
Some of the most popular southern foods are fried foods. We’ll fry almost anything. At the top of the list for favorites would have to be fried chicken. Not far behind fried chicken are other fried meats, including pork chops and beef cubed steak, also called “country fried steak.” How do southerners fry these meats? The meats are dredged in seasoned flour before frying. They might or might not be dipped in buttermilk, eggs, or whole milk first. The floured portions of poultry or meat can be fried in a skillet in a relatively small amount of oil, or they might be fried in deep oil. Southerners used to use lard for frying, but now many southern cooks are using peanut oil, corn oil, or canola oil, instead.
Another popular fried item in the South is fried vegetables. We commonly fry okra, green tomatoes, squash, eggplant, and zucchini. The vegetables are first washed and sliced, and sometimes they go through an egg wash before being rolled or shaken in a coating. The wash helps the coating stick better. The coating might be flour, cornmeal, cracker crumbs, or seasoned bread crumbs. sometimes grated parmesan cheese is added to the breading for extra flavor.
Fritters are another southern fried food favorite. A fritter is made by combining flour and/or cornmeal, eggs, milk or buttermilk, seasonings, and chopped or diced vegetables, corn, or fruit. The wet mixture is dropped by spoonfuls into hot oil or formed into “pancakes” and fried in a skillet. Some popular fritters include okra fritters, squash fritters, zucchini fritters, and apple fritters.
