Funeral Food in the South
For funerals at funeral homes in Tallahassee, FL, the funeral reception is just as important as any other part of the funeral process. And the food that is served is the ultimate in Southern comfort food. There are no diets, no watching waistlines, and no “I’m not hungry” allowed. Food is comfort and Southerners know how to comfort better than just about anyone else in the world.
An immense spread is the first thing you’ll notice at a Southern funeral reception. There’s never “just enough” food. Instead, there’s enough food to feed the county you’re in and probably the next one over as well. From salads to casseroles to meats of all kind, accompanied by cornbread and biscuits, and finished off with a vast array of desserts, food is the centerpiece of a Southern funeral reception, and if you’re not loosening your belt or wishing you hadn’t worn that girdle, then you haven’t eaten enough.
Here are just a few of staples you’ll find at a Southern funeral reception.
No Southern funeral reception would be right without homemade baked macaroni and cheese. This is not the stuff you get in a box or you find in the freezer because any Southerner will tell you that doesn’t taste like, look like, or have the mouth feel of Southern macaroni and cheese. While there are variations on whether to add a touch of cayenne, hot mustard powder, or nutmeg, the base recipe is the same.
A medium white sauce made by making a roux out of equal parts of flour and butter, then whisking milk until you’ve got the right consistency is how you start. Once the milk just comes to a boil, sharp cheddar cheese is added. Once that’s incorporated, then the macaroni is added and mixed in. All of this is then turned out into a greased baking dish. Some people add more cheese on top before putting it into the oven, where it will bake for about 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees.
Ham and biscuits are a staple of Southern funeral receptions, so you’d be hard pressed to find too many plates in the room that didn’t have a ham biscuit on them. But these aren’t biscuits that you get out a can. These are homemade wonders that, if you have the touch, are buttery, flaky, and crunchy, all at the same time. The ingredients for Southern homemade biscuits are simple: flour, butter, salt, baking powder, and cold water. The technique of putting them together is what makes them so special. The key, Southern cooks will tell you, is how the dough feels. And you can’t define that in recipe.
If there aren’t several different kinds of pound cake at the funeral reception, then you’re not in the South. Pound cake is a somewhat dense, but rich, buttery, sweet dessert that melts in your mouth as you eat it. One piece is never enough. The classic Southern pound cake is made from butter, shortening, sugar, eggs, salt, flour, and milk. Some recipes have baking powder, while others don’t, but it doesn’t seem to affect the taste either way. Many times, glazes made from mixing powdered sugar with things like lime juice, lemon juice, a liqueur, or rum are the finishing touch to a pound cake. Other times, ingredients like chocolate, pecans, or walnuts are added to the batter for a twist. No matter how it’s made, pound cake always hits the comfort spot.
If you want to know more about Southern funeral foods at funeral homes in Tallahassee, FL, our compassionate and experienced staff at Lifesong Funerals & Cremations can help. You can come by our funeral home at 20 S. Duval St., Quincy, FL 32351, or you can contact us today at (850) 627-1111.
