Cooking in a Southern kitchen is unlike making meals anywhere else and getting dinner together is quite the event. From handwritten recipes to cookbooks covered in bacon grease, a Southern kitchen is more than where you make food–it’s filled with love, friends, memories and unique sayings you’ll never forget.
Whether you grew up in the South or just enjoy a good home cooked Southern meal, these nostalgic phrases will stir up your appetite. From sayings passed down through generations to expressions still heard at Sunday dinner here are seven country cooking phrases that bring back heartfelt flashbacks.
Just Like Mama Used to Make
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Just like Mama used to make is a classic phrase that evokes memories of family recipes and made from scratch comfort food like buttery biscuits, greens with ham hock and mac and cheese. No matter what the dish is, Mama’s version was always the best.
Stick to Your Ribs
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A proper Southern meal is typically hearty and sticks to your ribs, meaning it’s filling and satisfying. Think meatloaf, chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, etc. Stick to your ribs are plates that will keep you full and not leave you starving in two hours.
Seasoned with Love
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Seasoned with love is another great Southern cooking saying that means the food was prepared with careful attention to detail and extra care. It’s a nourishing meal that represents a personal investment in the dish and provides warmth and comfort.
Measured with Love
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Not to be confused with seasoned with love, measured with love refers to the one who cooks without accurately measuring the ingredients. They know how to add spice or seasoning and it always comes out perfectly.
We Have a Whole Mess of Greens
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In the South, a whole mess of something refers to a generous portion of something that’s enough to feed your friends, neighbors and anyone who stops by. But the term is often in reference to greens.
Go On and Fix Yourself a Plate
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I’ve heard my grandma say “go on and fix yourself a plate” countless times. In the South, many people have an open door rule, meaning anyone is welcome to come inside, head to the kitchen and make a plate of food. It’s Southern hospitality at its best.
Good Eatin
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Good eatin is a short and simple way of saying the food is delicious. It’s the kind of thing you say after a second round or after a big meal.
Heather Newgen
Heather Newgen has two decades of experience reporting and writing about health, fitness, entertainment and travel. Heather currently freelances for several publications. Read more about Heather
