Southern cuisine was born of a melting pot of ethnicities, food cultures, techniques and ingredients brought together within the region. And it continues to evolve, building on American favorites like fried chicken and buttermilk biscuits. Rediscover the South with Symrise and learn about the flavors that form the foundation of traditional Southern cuisine, as well as the flavor spins and global influences that represent this modern day cuisine.

1. Of the many regional cuisines of North
America, none has won hearts so easily – or
transcended regional boundaries so readily –
as Southern food. Synonymous with modern,
craveable comfort food, dishes with Southern
roots like fried chicken, biscuits, grits, waffles,
macaroni and cheese and, of course, barbecue,
have reigned among the top U.S. food trends
for over a decade. Southern food graces today’s
tables far beyond the Mason-Dixon line in
the U.S., and now Southern American-style
barbecue is also found all over the world,
a testament to the power of the flavors and
ingredients that give this cuisine its lasting
impact and compels diners to ask for it again
and again.
Southern cuisine was born of a melting pot
of ethnicities, foodways, techniques and
ingredients brought together within the region.
Preserving the traditions of this culinary legacy
has become a focal point for communities
across the South, where cuisine is almost micro-
regional in nature, with seasonings, flavors
and ingredients ranging from city to city and
even home to home. Barbecue sauce styles,
for example, range from a vinegary, spiced
sauce served in Eastern North Carolina to a
mayonnaise-based sauce in Alabama. In New
Orleans, Cajun and Creole present a world of
difference in cuisine and culture. In kitchens
across the South, debates ramble on over
whether to bake biscuits with lard or butter,
make iced tea sweet or unsweet, or whether hot
sauce or honey should be served fried chicken.
The lines between food and culture are
sometimes distinct in the South, but
oftentimes blurred. Still, what makes the
region so eternally compelling when
it comes to food is that the evolution
continues as new ethnic groups contribute
to the pot and creative culinary minds put
their own stamp on the cuisine.
The New South
A National Cuisine

2. Rediscovering the South
One Plate at a Time
Traveling through the South, the team at
Symrise has immersed itself in the newest
flavors and facets of Southern cuisine,
resulting in the Southern Revival Initiative, a
series of new concepts and flavors that speak
to an evolving cuisine.Through chef interviews,
tasting treks and ingredient mapping, the team
revealed the ingredients at the heart of today’s
Southern table – ingredients that complement
and build on an already dynamic pantry of flavors.
A growing Korean population in Auburn, Ala., for
example, shines light on why a local chef might
reach for fermented black beans in place of bacon
when preparing collard greens. An Indian
community in Memphis brings curry spices to
the local mix, whileVietnamese cooks in New
Orleans introduce new flavors and formats to
local restaurant chefs.
These are the many faces, flavors and stories
heard in today’s Southern kitchens.
Husk,
Charleston, South Carolina
Travis Grimes
Kentuckyaki
Pig’s ears lettuce wraps with
Japanese togarashi
The Grey,
Savannah, Georgia
Mashama Bailey
Cheesecake
Farmer’s cheese, sorghum
caramel and candied pecans
Empire State
South, Atlanta, Georgia
Hugh Acheson
ESS Farm Egg
Green curry, tamarind,
chicken, broccoli, sweet
potato and fried rice
THE RESTAURANT THE RESTAURANT THE RESTAURANT
THE CHEF THE CHEF THE CHEF
THE DISH THE DISH THE DISH
Here, Emmanuel Laroche, SymriseVice President of Marketing and Consumer Insights, shares
the top dining destinations and dishes he’s discovered for fresh takes on Southern cuisine.

3. Two Ten Jack,
Chattanooga,Tennessee
Jess Benefield and
Trey Burnette
Okonomiage
Tater tots with chasu pork,
bonito flakes and Japanese
Kewpie mayo
Milkwood,
Louisville, Kentucky
Edward Lee
Gochujang Fried
Chicken with pandan
waffle and buttermilk dill
dressing
Snack Bar,
Oxford,Tennessee
Vishwesh Bhatt
Broccoli Fritters
With chaat masala and
yogurt dip
Chef Alex Harrell of famed eatery The Elysian
Bar in New Orleans explains,“The truth is,
these days there really is no way to generalize
Southern food. So many different cultures and
traditions come in to play…It’s honest and
pure and represents the area you grew up in
and take pride in.”
While miso is not native to the American
THE RESTAURANT THE RESTAURANT THE RESTAURANT
THE CHEFS THE CHEF THE CHEF
THE DISH
THE DISH THE DISH
“Southern food
has always been
a fusion of foods
with influences
coming from all
over the world.”
– Chef Edward Lee
South, the Symrise team discovered that the
Japanese soybean paste is being used by chefs
like Ian Boden of The Shack, a twenty-four
seat restaurant in Staunton,Va., who sees
Southern cuisine as an ongoing melting pot
of constant evolution. Chef Boden uses native
ingredients like sorghum in his hot sauce and
barbecue sauce, but he also likes introducing
unfamiliar ingredients like miso because

4. A Rich Gastronomic
Heritage
Agriculture and homesteading have long been
the foundation for the South’s far-reaching
culinary influence, providing a bountiful pantry
of ingredients that have make the cuisine so
extraordinary. Just as cooking techniques and
foodways brought from Africa resulted in a
vibrant melting-pot exchange that led to a
new cuisine, the complex farming system of
the Southern states established them as the
agricultural heartland of the original thirteen
colonies, and their bounty translated into
a culture of appreciation for fresh produce
alongside smoked, salted and pickled
ingredients that still reigns the region today.
From native heirloom ingredients like corn, to
ingredients brought from Europe, Africa and Asia
like collard greens, okra, and yams, high quality
flavors and ingredients have always been at the
he says they fit so well into the concept of
the cuisine. Chef David Bancroft from Acre
Restaurant in Auburn, Ala., is playing with
technique, specifically fire and the concept of
open-hearth cooking – usually reserved for
Southern barbecue. Now, fresh corn is getting
smoked treatment alongside foraged produce
and hunted game.
Likewise, Chef Edward Lee, a Brooklyn-born
chef and restaurateur based in Louisville,
Ky., is bringing global flavors to traditional
Southern cuisine and embracing the diverse
ethnic cuisines of today’s South, which
includes his Korean heritage.“I am not from
the South, so I didn’t have my grandmother’s
recipes telling me what to do and I didn’t
live in a community that demanded a one-
dimensional version of Southern food. So,
when I started experimenting with Korean
ingredients, people didn’t protest and say
you can’t do this because it’s not traditional
Southern food.”

5. heart of Southern cooking. However, over the
years some ingredients fell by the wayside due to
changes in farming practices and culinary tastes,
putting ingredients in danger of being entirely
lost to cooks who prized them for both their flavor
and historical value.
Fortunately, companies like Anson Mills,
Columbia, S.C. are working to revive heritage
ingredients, like Sea Island red peas and
Gourdseed grits, and organizations like the
Southern Foodways Alliance, Oxford, Miss., are
leading a movement among historians, chefs
and food lovers that reclaims a rich history
of flavors and ingredients. Not only has their
work preserved a culinary legacy and put
Southern food back on the map – they’re also
championing a movement that encourages
creativity in the kitchen with these newfound
ingredients.
Tasting the Low Country
Traveling through the South in search of food
and flavor insights is a daunting task given the
scope and breadth of the cuisine, and the fact
that it’s an ever-evolving element of American
culture.The Symrise team led a series of food
treks throughout the South to connect with
Top
Ingredients
for Elevated
Southern
Bourbon
Honey
Brown Butter
Rhubarb
Sorghum
Pecans
Smoke/Char
Apple Cider
Pickles
Corn
the traditions and flavors that consumers
love.“If you really want to connect with the
food, you have to go there,”says Emmanuel
Laroche.The treks focused on three key regional
areas including: Tennessee and Mississippi
(Nashville, Memphis and Oxford),The Low
Country (Charleston to Savannah), and
Appalachia (Atlanta to Asheville).
In a recent trek to The Low Country, the team
uncovered the region’s coastal“port city”
influence, with seafood, ingredients, dishes,
and traditions imported from many other
parts of the world.“We saw a lot of global
influences including Asian, French, Latin and
African, both in the traditional form, and from
Gullah-Geechee culture, which has a large
influence here,”says Laroche.The team found
that smoke, fire, and char reigned supreme
throughout savory
dishes, sweets,
and beverages –
including charred
apple, charred
satsuma orange,
charred banana leaf,
torched rosemary,
and embered sweet
potatoes.
In cocktails, it was
all about ginger,
sorghum, and
bourbon with a
heavy dash of
bitters, including nut
bitters like pecan
and walnut. In
sweets, Southern
cakes seemed to be
everywhere, from
sticky sorghum cake,
to buttered rum
chai carrot cake, to
coconut pecan cake.

6. More
In-Sights
from
Symrise
Southern Revival
is just one of many
initiatives from Symrise
North America, whose
expertise covers a
wide range of topics.
For a closer look at
everything happening
in the food world, visit
in-sight.symrise.com,
an online information
platform and news
aggregation site
developed and
maintained by Symrise.
The goal of in-sight is
to provide information,
innovation, and
inspiration to members
of the food and
beverage industry, as
well as anyone who
has a passion for food
and drink.Visit the
in-sight portal and
get ready for a whole
new perspective on
the world of food and
beverage.
Elevating the Everyday
with Inspiring Flavors
From buttermilk to barrel-aged to pimento
cheese, Symrise is exploring the flavor trends
that have the biggest impact for today’s
consumers.With nearly 20 flavors in the Southern
Revival collection – and in combination with
the full Spice Exploration portfolio of Latin
and Southeast Asian flavors – custom, complex
tastes can be created that represent the best of
America’s ever-changing palate.
Curious about how ethnic and regional
inspirations from locales such as Asia, India,
Africa and the Middle East can elevate the taste
experience of traditional favorites like sweet
potatoes, smoked bacon or bourbon? Schedule
a demo with Symrise to learn about the key
drivers of Southern Revival and experience
inspiring tastings.
Contact sasha.bertan@symrise.com.
Symrise Flavor Division North America
www.symrise.com
in-sight.symrise.com
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