Soul Food Trivia Quiz

Answer: black-eyed peas and rice

Hoppin' John is an old southern tradition. Black-eyed peas and rice are slowly simmered together with onions and seasonings to taste.

Answer: intestines of a pig or hog

Chitlins, which are intestines of a pig or hog, are thoroughly cleaned until they are white in appearance. They are then cooked in a pot of salted water until fork tender. After they are done, they are drained and eaten with hot sauce and mustard. Chitlins have a foul odor while they are being cleaned and cooked. To help keep the odor down, you should cook a potato and onion in the pot of water with the chitlins.

Answer: The joints connecting the feet to the legs

Ham hocks, the bones of a pig's joints between the feet and the legs, are simmered in a pot of water until the meat can pull easily away from the bone. It is served as either a meat, or it is mixed with collard greens, which is a green, leafy vegetable.

Answer: black-eyed peas and collard greens

Eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day is thought to bring good luck. Eating collard greens are believed to bring wealth.

Answer: ground corn

Grits are ground corn. The grits are poured in a pot of boiling water. Once the water is returned to a boil, the grits are then simmered on low heat until it is of a mush-like consistency. Grits are traditionally served during breakfast as a side dish with sausage, bacon, or ham and eggs. They are better with butter, salt, and pepper.

Answer: False

That was a trick question. Although one may make pone with sweet potatoes, it is not made with okra. Pone is also made with either creamed, or whole yellow corn. Sweet potato pone is obviously a dessert. The potatoes are cooked in a pot of water until a fork can be easily inserted into the potato. Once the potatoes have cooled, they are then peeled, mashed, and mixed with white and/or brown sugar, vanilla, and nutmeg.

Some people like to mix cinnamon in the pone. The batter is then baked in the oven. You may sprinkle some mini-marshmallows on the top of the pone while it is still hot, or you may eat it without them.

Answer: cornbread

Cornbread, which is made from corn meal, butter, eggs, and either sweet milk, or white milk, is either fried in a skillet in the shape of small patties, or it is baked in the oven. It is buttered, and then crumbled in buttermilk.

Answer: Fried skin of the pig

Cracklins are made from the skin of a hog. It is sliced, and fried in a deep pot of very, very hot oil. It is either chopped in small pieces either before, or after they are fried. They are heavily salted, so it is not recommended that they are eaten by those who are diabetic, or on a low-sodium diet.

They sound disgusting, but they are actually quite tasty. It is better to buy them directly from a smokehouse than to buy them from a convenience store. The ones in the convenience store are sometimes stale. Yuck!

Answer: True

Although souse meat is also called hog's head cheese, it is not a cheese. It is made from the meat of a head of a hog. It is grey in appearance, and it is eaten with crackers and cheese.

Answer: True

Although I've never eaten chicken feet, I've heard that it can be used in cornbread dressing.