For example, the extensive use of corn meal probably resulted from the fact that wheat was little grown in the South. From them, poor southerners learned how to use many wild or cultivated plants and game. In addition, the early African-Americans introduced several of the plants, such as blackeye peas, okra, sweet sorghum, and watermelons, from which many prized southern dishes are derived. In many affluent households, they were the family cook, and as such, they molded and modified the taste preferences of those they served. There is little doubt that the creative use of food by American Indians, subsistence farmers, and the African-Americans were the major influences on the nature of Southern cooking, and there is historical evidence to indicate that these groups learned from each other.
T here are many sub-regions where the type of cooking was influenced by local factors.
One important region, as we have pointed out, was the Appalachian region that was populated mostly by subsistence farmers. The cooking of some coastal areas were influenced by their early settlement by the Spanish or French. M any people in other parts of the U. S. and the rest of the world now enjoy Southern cooking. For more on-line southern recipes and information about southern cooking, check the references and links at the end of this document. For home gardeners, they are links to excellent home gardening sites from some agricultural schools' home horticulture sections.