You Probably Ate Some Of These Southern Foods And Never Even Knew the Stories Behind Them

Cracklin is pork skin or fat that's deep fried in lard, cooled and then fried again  until it makes a crackling sound.

Snapper soup is made with turtle meat, vegetables and garlic. It was much more popular in the 1920's and was even served in the White House. The original versions were made with meat from a snapping turtle. 

Chit'lins are deep fried hog intestines that are served with hot sauce.  The name comes from Medieval England because the same dish was served to the poor and was called chitterlings. 

Souse is a cold cut made from the head of a pig after its been submerged in a pickling liquid, which is where the name souse, meaning to immerse something, comes in. The meat is usually mixed with vegetables or fish parts depending on the region. 

This meal of rice and black-eyed peas is said to have originated in slave communities. It's name originates from the Haitian Creole word for black-eyed peas. called pois pigeons which makes sense if you hear it in the proper accent. 

This pie has Amish roots and is made with a sweet filling made from molasses and brown sugar that's very attractive to flies once it cools. 

Livermush is a popular dish is North Carolina and you can probably guess what's in it. It's made of a mixture of liver, head pieces and cornmeal. It's formed into a cute with spices like pepper and sage. 

There aren't any frogs in Frogmore Stew. Shrimp, blue crab, corn and potatoes are boiled together in one pot to make it. It's named after Frogmore, the small community on islands near South Carolina where is originated. 

This gravy is a mixture of drippings from pan-fried ham and black coffee. It's name comes from the fact that it really does look like an eye when poured into a round bowl. 

Hushpuppies are a pretty simple creation. They're just deep fried balls of cornmeal. Historians have many theories about where the name came from. Some say Confederate soldiers would feed them to their dogs to quiet them. Others say that hush puppies were a replacement for "mud puppies," which were fried salamanders. 

This is a common dish served in small towns in Florida. It's made of the cores of palm tree stems which are sold as hearts of palm. Florida's Sabal Palmettos are also called "cabbage palms."

Succotash is a simple meal made of lima beans, corn, tomatoes, onions and peppers and was commonly served during the Great Depression era. It's name came from the Narragansett Native American word “msickquatash,” meaning “boiled ear of corn.”

Jambalaya gets its name from a french dish called jambalaia. It's a cajun dish that contains rice, chicken, spices, vegetables and seafood.

Confederate Cush is a cornmeal mush that's fried in bacon grease. This was a common meal on Confederate battle fields because of its simplicity. The "cush" part of its name comes from a similar Cajun dish called couche-couche. 

Burgoo is a stew that's very popular in Kentucky. When served in restaurant, it's usually made with chicken or pork, but traditional versions were made with whatever meat was available, like squirrel, possum and raccoon. A mix of corn, potatoes, carrots and beans are thrown into the hearty broth. Its name is derived from a porridge that was served by the British Navy in the 19th century. It may also be a combination of the words barbeque and ragout, or a frenchman's pronunciation of "bird