a) from or pertaining to the southern part of any region
But although Southern cooking makes use of a cornucopia of vegetables, it also typically includes generous portions of meat and fried chicken. Even vegetable dishes and breads are often cooked with animal fat: Greens are fried in bacon grease [...]
b) from or pertaining to the South, the south-eastern states of the United States<! including more or less the same states as formed the Confederacy during the American Civil War, or to the inhabitants or culture of that region.
Southern cooking makes its presence felt throughout the northern half of the state. Vegetables such as okra, collard greens, black-eyed peas, fried green tomatoes, and fried eggplant are added to staples such as fried chicken, roast beef, and hogjaw — meat from the mouth of a pig.
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