
But I don’t like how slimy okra is!Īdmittedly, okra isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. It continues to flourish in many parts of Africa, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and South America.

Okra is an invaluable ingredient to members of the people of color (POC) community. The word gumbo comes from the Portugese quingombo, which is in itself a corruption of the name for okra in Congo and Angola––ki ngombo. Some parts of the US refer to this fruit is gumbo––also the name of a popular Creole stew it is a key ingredient in. In the Southern regions of the US especially, okra is a quintessential ingredient in Southern cuisine. Author and food expert Jessica Harris writes, “herever okra points its green tip, Africa has been, and the trail of trade evidenced by the presence of the pod is formidable.” She also explains that the word ‘okra’ is derived from the Igbo word for the plant––okuru. It has become a staple in several African diasporas in the Americas and across the globe. Okra is said to have origins in South Asia, West Africa, and Ethiopia. Its scientific name is Abelmoschus esculentus, though in other regions we also call it “lady’s fingers” or bhindi. Okra thrives best in warm, humid climates. You can find us over on Pinterest and all our brand new recipes here.Where does okra come from?: History and origins Please share in the comments so we can continue to provide your creative ideas to anyone that may be considering making this recipe. Do not wait for the holidays to enjoy this mouth watering, tender and perfect vegetable side dish. Southern Style Green Beans – Southern Style Green Beans with fresh green beans and crispy bacon is a flawless side dish for any meal.Southern Skillet Cornbread – Southern Skillet Cornbread, a made from scratch homemade cast iron cornbread, that is a low to no sugar cornbread with a light crispy shell.Southern Style Potato Salad – Southern potato salad is a creamy delicious potato salad side dish recipe with simple ingredients and a WOW taste.Classic Southern Bread Pudding – Bread pudding with simple white bread and raisins is a foolproof dessert that will remind you of how grandma used to make it.Southern Sweet Tea Slushie – Southern Sweet Tea is great no matter what time of the year, but did you know you can take that same sweet tea recipe and turn it into a delightful, thirst quenching slushie?.Need more southern side dishes for some homemade cooking? You really cannot go wrong with just about any side dish recipe (but seriously this dip is my favorite) but here are a few to point you in the right direction! Purchase okra pods (with limited black outer shells) that are similar in sizing and cut to 1/4th inch round, discarding the top and bottom. Not only is water a no no in frying (and can be dangerous at that), a frozen okra will likely get soggy and not have the same southern crunch as fresh. Typically stores also have frozen okra on hand in the vegetable aisle but frozen vegetables contain quite a bit of water and therefore get soggy quite quickly.


But you can def season up your corn meal with a variety of spices. In this recipe, I kept the seasoning super simple: Salt and Pepper.

RELATED RECIPES: Fried Apples, Fried Corn Fritters, Fried Rice, Fried Zucchini, Fried Hush Puppies Alternative Seasoning Flavors Each bite is a delicious crunchy finger food that I truly enjoy and I hope you do too!Īll that is needed for this simple recipe is fresh okra, oil for frying, cornmeal and seasoning! There is nothing more southern than deep fried okra in a batch of corn meal! Now okra isn’t a common side for every person, but I personally love okra. 8 Southern Fried Okra with Cornmeal Cornmeal Fried Okra Ingredients
