15 Unusual Southern Food Combinations That Actually Work

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Let's face it: Americans love doing weird things with food. Deep-fried butter, Frito pies, and Cheez Whiz are just some of the many wacky American foods that baffle foreigners. Whenever a restaurant releases an interesting limited-time offering or a social media recipe goes viral, everyone wants to try it. Food is beautiful because, no matter how old you are, there will always be endless opportunities to experience new creations.

American food history gets even more fascinating when you dive into specific regions. The South has always been rich with dishes that seem so foreign to Americans who live elsewhere, yet they become believers once they try them. When in doubt, you can always trust that a plate of anything that a Southern grandma serves will be finger-licking-good.

Do you have an adventurous palate? Read on to sink your teeth into 15 unusual Southern food combinations that actually work. You may find your new favorite snack or meal.

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In a Reddit thread posted in r/HuntsvilleAlabama, locals discussed their favorite Southern dishes that others might find uncommon. One heartwarming pattern emerged: many adults have fond memories of sharing cornbread fresh out of the oven in a glass of buttermilk with their grandmas. Some folks said their family poured regular milk into the glass, but purists swear that buttermilk is the true pairing for hot cornbread. Milk may be a nice way to try this snack for the first time if you're afraid of buttermilk's strong tang.

As for the technique, you're supposed to smush the cornbread with a spoon so it breaks apart and soaks up the buttermilk, then scoop bits into your mouth with the spoon. Of course, once you're almost finished, you can tilt the glass back and try to get every last drop. Other folks just like dunking the cornbread in buttermilk and taking a bite.

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One endearing, yet confusing, fact about many Southerners is that they play fast and loose with the word "salad." Like the polarizing Watergate salad, strawberry pretzel salad doesn't involve any lettuce because it is actually a dessert. Although, adding some chopped strawberries and pretzels to a traditional lettuce salad does sound pretty darn good, too.

Strawberry pretzel salad starts with a base of buttery, crushed pretzels. Then, there's a decadent layer of cream cheese, whipped topping, and powdered sugar whipped together. The topping is a unique mix of fresh or canned strawberries mixed with gelatin. You pour it over the dish and leave it in the fridge to set. The strawberry topping becomes bouncy and chewy, while the cream mixture melts in your mouth. Of course, the pretzels add some much-needed crunch and saltiness. It sounds strange, but this dessert hits tons of textures and flavors. Since it requires refrigeration, it's a fabulous option for anyone who wants to make a dessert ahead of an event.

Pickle concoctions are always ripe for going viral on social media because pickles on their own are already divisive enough. If you combine them with other strange ingredients, the post will go viral. A somewhat recent example of this is the 2021 Chamoy pickle. Basically, you hollow out a pickle, stuff it with Gushers, wrap it in Fruit Roll-Ups, then douse it in Chamoy and Tajín.

Southerners have been enjoying unfamiliar pickle combos well before internet virality, though. One of the weirdest pickle trends that you should try is a Koolickle, which is short for a Kool-Aid pickle. You add different Kool-Aid mixes to pickle jars and let the pickles soak up the flavors. Not only do the pickles take on Kool-Aid's sweetness, but they also turn vibrant colors. Kids and adults alike are delighted.

Two flavor combos that Southerners swear by are pickles soaked in cherry or black cherry Kool-Aid. Each bite is sour, tart, sweet, crunchy, and refreshing. Some grocery stores, such as Cotten's Grocery, even sell Koolickles that you can bag individually when you want a treat on the go.

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Cheese is such a delightful ingredient to work with because it seems to go with everything. Whether the dish is sweet, savory, or anything in between, cheese is always welcome at the party. One simple but delicious snack that a Redditor learned from their great grandmother from North Carolina is to dip cheddar cheese in granulated sugar. That's it!

In terms of texture, the cheese itself is velvety and smooth, while the sugar granules crunch between your teeth each time you chew. The sweetness creates a satisfying dynamic when paired with the cheddar's sharpness.

If you're someone who loves a good charcuterie board, then this snack may not seem all that strange. Sure, it's less healthy than cheese on an apple slice, but the flavor profile is comparable. The next time you whip up a charcuterie board, consider adding a bowl of granulated sugar for dipping.

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One of the most iconic Southern snacks is a tall glass of Coke topped with some salty peanuts. The real reason why people put peanuts in Coke is that this nut can withstand the fizzy power of soda and maintain its crunch. Each time you get a surprise peanut in your sip, it'll still be crisp, even if your Coke has been sitting for a while. This drink is tastiest when the glass is right out of the fridge, though.

Speaking of glass, Southerners like to keep things classic by choosing traditional glass bottles, just like how Coca-Cola used to sell its soda. Until 1984, Coke was made with real sugar, and it was easy to find in glass bottles. Nowadays, the easiest way to get a taste of original Coke is to buy the bottles imported from Mexico. It may sound obscure, but many grocery stores and restaurants sell them. You just need to pay extra since it's not produced in America.

Even if you don't have Mexican Coke on hand, this drink will still hit the spot. Instead of getting your hands oily and salty from the peanuts, you can just dump some peanuts straight into your Coke and munch away.

There definitely are some mayo haters out there, but many folks would agree that no sandwich is complete without it. That statement has an unsaid restriction, though. The sandwich must fall into the savory category with meat, cheese, and veggies.

If you're from the South, there's a beloved mayo sandwich that dares to be on the sweet side of the spectrum. The humble banana and mayo sandwich contains just those two ingredients between two slices of white bread. This sandwich even helped people get through the Great Depression because the ingredients are cheap. Bananas are an incredibly sweet fruit, while mayo has an eggy flavor with a little zip. One thing to note is that this sandwich is soft. If you need some texture, you'll have to get funky and add extra ingredients like potato chips or crispy bacon.

As far as nutrition goes, the banana can't overcome mayo's unhealthy reputation. However, the sandwich could keep you full for a while. Bananas rank high on the satiety scale, and the high fat content of the mayo can stick to your ribs. The only major debate among Southerners who love this simple sandwich is whether to use real mayo or a substitute like Miracle Whip. If you'd like to try this sandwich, go with whatever mayo you usually love on your other sandwiches.

Perhaps the most controversial dish in this list is pear salad. Even Southerners are divided on pear salad because the taste is so distinct, which is either really good or really bad depending on your tastes. Once you know what's in it, you can get an idea of which camp you'd likely fall into. Pear salad's base is canned Bartlett pears. Take one half of a pear with the center facing up, then fill it with a dollop of mayo. Next, you sprinkle some shredded cheddar cheese on top and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Where does the lettuce come into play? Historically, some folks served pear salad on a Romaine lettuce leaf, but apparently, this is just for presentation. Nothing can stop you from making a lettuce wrap, though. Cherries are also presented as an optional garnish in Southern recipes. The pop of color makes the pale pears and mayo look more inviting, but it's not a vital element in terms of the flavor.

Sweet pears, creamy mayo, and sharp cheddar cheese can create a lovely balance. However, the hardest thing to get over is taking a huge bite out of a halved pear. If Southern pear salad has any hope of a wider cultural revival, perhaps chopping the pear and folding the ingredients together could make the dish seem more approachable.

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Lots of people are surprised to hear that putting salt on watermelon is a common thing in the South. This may seem unnatural at first, but if you've ever raved about a chocolate chip cookie that's topped with a sprinkle of sea salt, then your taste buds already understand a bit of the magic that can happen. Adding a dash of salt to something sweet doesn't take away from the sweetness; it only enhances it.

Another cool science thing is going on here as well. Salt also has the power to help balance bitter flavors. Instead of throwing out an entire watermelon that isn't as sweet as you dreamed it'd be, try sprinkling a little bit of salt on top of your slice and letting it rest for several minutes. Once the salt dissolves into the fruit, a lot of that bitterness will vanish.

Salted watermelon is a perfect treat for Southerners, especially during the summer when temperatures are at an all-time high. Watermelon has a high water content, while salt can help your body hydrate more efficiently. The next time you're soaking up some rays or doing yard work, sink your teeth into a salted slice of watermelon for an incredible recharge.

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Most of us already know and love biscuits and gravy. However, biscuits and gravy's lesser-known but just as glamorous sibling is biscuits with chocolate gravy. As wild as this may sound, many Southerners reserve this dish for breakfast. Instead of a big stack of chocolate chip pancakes, biscuits with indulgent chocolate gravy can satisfy your craving for warm, chocolaty carbs.

If your brain can't get past the word "gravy," then you can be at ease that chocolate gravy is essentially a thick, luscious chocolate sauce. Warm, fluffy biscuits are a divine pairing because they act like sponges.

Instead of making a roux like many traditional savory gravy recipes, you combine most of your dry ingredients in a pot. This includes cocoa powder, sugar, flour, and salt. In a cup, dissolve some espresso powder in a splash of boiling water, then add it to the dry ingredients in the pot along with some milk. Once the mixture reduces, take the pot off the heat, add butter and vanilla extract, and mix until the gravy is shiny and smooth. You'll want to drown your biscuits in this scrumptious sweet gravy.

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In the South, many families hate to waste food. As a result, many traditional recipes use the less desirable parts of an animal. With a royal Southern treatment, something unpleasant can become magnificent. Cue giblets and boiled eggs in gravy.

For those who don't go elbow deep in turkeys during Thanksgiving preparations, giblets are the organ meat of poultry that are contained in a bag that's stuffed inside whole birds. Many people quickly reach in and dispose of these parts as fast as they can, but this is unthinkable for some Southerners. One way they elevate the giblets is by making a hearty gravy.

The best recipes call for simmering the giblets in a pot with aromatic onions all day to tenderize the organ meat and draw out some of the gaminess. In a separate pot, boil a handful of eggs, let them cool, then thinly slice them. Once the meat has softened, chop it up finely. To bring everything together, you take a cup of turkey drippings from your roast, thicken it with flour, then fold in the chopped giblets and boiled eggs. The final result is rich and ultra savory. Southerners swear by how incredible this gravy is over mashed potatoes.

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A snack of boiled peanuts is just one of those foods that you either adore or despise. Of course, there are also tons of folks who simply haven't even tried them yet. If you're not from the South, you may be surprised to see signs on the side of rural roads advertising boiled peanuts as you drive around on vacation. Even Southerners who don't fancy this snack still acknowledge how iconic it is.

If you haven't had a boiled peanut yet, eating one is an experience. Since the nuts are boiled in their shells, you have to split them open and suck out the insides. Unlike roasted peanuts, which are crunchy, boiled peanuts are soft and velvety. The fun comes from the liquid that the peanuts are boiled in.

Simple boiled peanuts are salty, and some varieties have spicy Cajun seasoning thrown in. However, one Redditor shared that one of the tastiest boiled peanut recipes they've ever tried was a beer-and-sumac twist. A brewery prepared them, so the recipe included a high-quality IPA. The final results combine complex notes, including citrus, salt, and bitters.

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Crispy fried chicken is such a beloved Southern staple that there are probably hundreds of thousands of different recipes out there. This sumptuous protein already represents Southern cuisine, yet you can have even more fun with the dish by combining it with another beloved gem: Southern sweet tea.

Someone could write an entire PhD thesis on fried chicken marinades and still not cover all of the bases. When you boil it down, though, you need to combine ingredients that will both tenderize the chicken and infuse it with flavor. Sweet tea is a clever marinade ingredient because the tannins naturally present in many tea varieties soften meat, while the sugar is a great flavor building block. Of course, no marinade is complete without salt, which helps the meat absorb more tasty juices.

Once the meat has had at least 12 hours to marinate, you can give the chicken the usual dredge in buttermilk and flour mixed with spices. That little bit of sweetness from the sweet tea really helps the savory breading shine. Best of all, the meat will be succulent.

When it comes to soup-and-sandwich pairings, many people would agree that grilled cheese dunked in creamy tomato soup is the perfect comfort meal. However, there are other whackier combinations that Southerners swear by. People on Facebook and Reddit have shared that dipping peanut butter sandwiches into chicken noodle soup is one of their favorites. This means that this combo is indeed a true Southern meal passed down by families, rather than one person sharing their bold creation on the internet.

There are all kinds of recipes that use peanuts and peanut butter, so this dish can start to seem more appetizing once you consider that fact. It's sweet, creamy, and salty, which can elevate a soup. Plus, soft bread can soak up the broth, while toasted bread can bring some texture to the party. You should try it the next time you're sick because the soup will soothe you, and the peanut butter will fill you up without upsetting your tummy.

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We've all indulged in some brown sugar and cinnamon or maple syrup when whipping up some oatmeal in the morning. In the South, some folks love swapping their oats for white rice. They prepare it in a simple yet highly satisfying way by adding a pat of butter and a generous sprinkling of white sugar. Once the butter melts from the heat of the rice, they mix everything together so the sugar crystals aren't crunchy.

Not only is this dish comforting, but it's also a brilliant way to use any leftover rice. Plus, rice is a super affordable staple that people can enjoy at any time of the day.

If you're sick of having gloopy oatmeal in the morning, sweet and buttery rice could be a fun addition to your breakfast rotation. To bulk this meal up, a couple of slices of Canadian ham or any other savory protein would be a lovely pairing.

There's a reason why cottage cheese has taken over TikTok. Its neutral taste and high protein content can add a lot of nutritional value to a dish without overpowering other flavors. It's turned a lot of people off due to its lumpy texture, but you can easily solve that by blitzing it in a blender.

In the South, some folks make their baked beans even more filling by adding a dollop of cottage cheese. This versatile dairy product can also help thicken the barbecue sauce, which creates a nice mouthfeel.

If you're a fan of beans on toast, you can also scoop a bit of cottage cheese on top. You may even want to spread it on the toast first if you prefer keeping the toast a bit crunchy. One Redditor shared this meal and raved about how they've been eating it for years to maintain their ideal weight. Two slices of loaded toast clock in at under 350 calories and boast lots of protein and fiber.