It might well be a term one would attribute to a music style, let alone the flamboyant cuisine of America's Southern States. Southern and Soul is fusion at it's finest, blending Afro-Caribbean culture with the organic fruits of Florida (for Floribbean recipes), indigenous Indian cooking styles with the mouth-watering temptations of Maryland, and good old French Creole with distinctly American staples such as steak. Historically, Southern and Soul cuisine originates from the American states below the Mason Dixon Line, including Pennsylvania, Texas, Ohio and Maryland. Here you'll find the restaurants offer a rather unique dining experience to the upscale modernized cities further North – the baking weather a primary influence toward the trend for cooking outdoors. Outdoor barbecue restaurants and “bar 'n' grill” choices abound, coupled with relaxed cafeterias serving crawfish stews and Jambalaya like fast food outlets. Creole cuisine originates within Louisiana, brought over by migrants from France during the 17th Century. Creole dishes are predominantly rice based, however fuse the strong flavors of crawfish, shrimp, oysters and crab with pecan nuts and figs grown naturally in the region, for simple fillers like Crawfish Boil. Cajun differs only slightly, with corn being a staple element of stew dishes such as the gumbo and étouffe. Cajun tends to make use of a far greater variety of spices, including chili, cayenne pepper and bay leaves. Appalachian cuisine found among the “Lowcountry” (places such as Virginia and the Carolinas) is far more rustic. Poultry features prominently within Appalachian cooking, since chickens are a cheap foodstuff to rear and slaughter. Chicken and dumplings is a simple, yet popular dish eaten with broth, along with Hominy - a fusion of maize kernels and chicken served as a soup or stew. These days you don't have to head South to experience the wide array of flavors classified under “Southern and Soul”. From L.A to Las Vegas, modern chefs have brought it bang up to date in some of the most fashionable eateries of the world!