What Was Southern Cooking in the 1930s Like?

Southern-style cooking has always had an appeal all its own, and is mostly known for its hearty bases and flavorful ingredient combinations. The distinctive cooking styles that have originated in the southern United States range from 50 years old to hundreds of years old, and new methods of Southern-style are developed every day. The cooking styles of the 1930s, however, can be summed up in a couple of simple words – inexpensive and filling.

To understand what Southern cooking in the 1930s was like, it is important to understand the cultural factors that shaped Southern cooking during that time period:

• During the 1930s, the country was experiencing difficult economic times throughout the depression-laden decade, and because of this everything had to adapt, including the cuisine.
• Heavier milk-and-flour based recipes reigned supreme because they were easier to obtain the ingredients for than other recipes, and because they provided a substantial base to virtually any meal, keeping hard workers fuller for longer periods of time. 

Flour Biscuit

To better understand Southern cuisine and cooking during the 1930s, it is helpful to see some actual foods that were made based on the cultural influences. One of the biggest staples in southern cuisine was and is the flour biscuit.

• Flour-based biscuits were a Southern staple long before the 1930s, but they gained popularity quickly during this time as the people of the south relied on inexpensive substance to get them through long days.
• One of the most widely made dishes, whether for breakfast, lunch, or supper, was biscuits and gravy.
• Flour biscuits smothered in milk-based gravy (typically made with whatever type of sausage was available) adorned southern tables as much in the 1930s as they do today.

Regional Ingredients in Southern Cooking

Another major factor that influenced southern cooking in the 1930s was the regional ingredients.

• These ingredients were kept almost exclusively to the areas to which they were native.
• Regional availability heavily shaped Southern cooking during the 1930s because of the lack of transportation from region to region.
• The southern heat made it difficult to transport ingredients like seafood and fish to more inland areas from the coastal regions of the south.
• Thus, while the inland areas of the regions were getting their substance from heavier flour and milk based recipes, the coastal areas were basing their cuisines on the most readily available food source: the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Shrimp-based dishes were the most frequently served on the southern coast, and have stood the test of time, as they are still widely popular today. 

Southern Fried Cooking

In order to make the most out of the proteins they were able to obtain, southern cooks used a couple of different breading methods to coat their meats before frying them in heavy oils.

• One popular option was the method most commonly referred to as “southern fried.”
• Southern fried cooking during the 1930s involved coating a meat or poultry in buttermilk and then dredging it in spiced flour before frying it.
• This way, an inexpensive protein could be given more flavor without having to use expensive ingredients.    

So, now you know more about what Southern cooking was like during the 1930s and you have a better understanding of the factors that shaped Southern cuisine.