Biscuits and Gravy

• Biscuits and gravy are breakfast staples in Southern homes and restaurants. These biscuits don’t come from a mix or a can; they’re handmade and typically made that morning. A Southern biscuit, which is often made from buttermilk and lard, has a light texture that is still thick enough to stand up against the gravy. The gravy is a country-style white gravy using the basic fat, flour and milk ingredients. Pork sausage fat drippings are usually used for a Southern gravy.

Grits

• Grits are made from coarsely ground kernels of corn. They are boiled using milk and have a creamy, thick texture. Alkali-treated corn is what makes hominy, another dish sometimes served for breakfast. Both were traditionally served in the South as breakfast porridges when meat, eggs and other breakfast items were too expensive. Grits and hominy are still a big part of a Southern breakfast, but in modern times they’re sometimes accompanied by cheese, bacon and fried eggs.

Hoe Cakes

• Instead of a traditional pancake, you’re likely to find a hoe cake at a Southern breakfast table. Hoe cakes are made from cornmeal and fried in a cast-iron skillet like pancakes. For breakfast, sugar is typically added. Hoe cakes might be served with a fried egg or drizzled with molasses, maple syrup or just topped with butter.

Eggs

• Eggs are part of a real Southern breakfast, but depending on the dish, they are used sparingly or are the center of the dish. Fried eggs are common in Southern breakfasts, usually served with sausage, accompanying grits or country-fried ham. A skillet breakfast includes fried or scrambled eggs mixed with vegetables, bacon or sausage and potatoes.

Breakfast Meat

• In the South, meat almost always makes an appearance on the breakfast plate. Southern cooks may serve pork sausage links browned on the stove and served with eggs or on the side of biscuits and gravy. Fried bologna -- slices of bologna fried over medium heat -- or country-fried ham, which are fried ham steaks, are served with eggs, biscuits and grits. Red-eye gravy, a gravy made from fat drippings of country ham or pork and mixed with black coffee, is sometimes served with cornbread, grits, fried ham steaks or homemade biscuits for breakfast. Country-fried steak, which is beef cubed steak, breaded and fried in lard or oil, is typically served with a fried egg or gravy and biscuits as part of a complete Southern breakfast.