soul food

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

(food): Originated in the mid-1960s, when soul was commonly used to describe African-American culture.

Noun

soul food (countable and uncountable, plural soul foods)

  1. Nourishment for the soul; spiritual sustenance. [from 10th c.]
    Coordinate term: food for thought
  2. (US) A style of food originating in the rural southern US, traditionally associated with African Americans. [from 20th c.]
    • 1965, Malcolm X, Alex Haley, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, published 2015, →ISBN, page 70:
      I couldn't wait for eight o'clock to get home to eat out of those soul-food pots of Ella's, then get dressed in my zoot and head for some of my friends' places in town, to lindy-hop and get high, […]
    • 1972, Lou Reed (lyrics and music), “Walk on the Wild Side”, in Transformer:
      Sugar Plum Fairy came and hit the streets / Looking for soul food and a place to eat
    • 2023 July 6, Maria C. Hunt, “Could an ancient, climate-friendly crop be the future of beer?”, in The Guardian‎, →ISSN:
      Generations of African Americans in the US were told soul food was simple and unhealthy, Oliver says.

Translations

Further reading
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