soul food

noun

Nourishment for the soul; spiritual sustenance.

First used 10th c.
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Meanings

nounsoul food (countable and uncountable, plural soul foods)

plural soul foods · alternative soul-food

  1. countableuncountableNourishment for the soul; spiritual sustenance.First known use 10th c.
  2. UScountableuncountableA style of food originating in the rural southern US, traditionally associated with African Americans.First known use 20th c.

    Sugar Plum Fairy came and hit the streets / Looking for soul food and a place to eat

    1972, Lou Reed, “Walk on the Wild Side”, in Transformer
    2 more examples

    I couldn't wait for eight o'clock to get home to eat out of those soul-food pots of Ella's, then get dressed in my zoot and head for some of my friends' places in town, to lindy-hop and get high, […]

    1965, Malcolm X, Alex Haley, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, published 2015, →ISBN, page 70

    Generations of African Americans in the US were told soul food was simple and unhealthy, Oliver says.

    2023 July 6, Maria C. Hunt, “Could an ancient, climate-friendly crop be the future of beer?”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

Origin

(food): Originated in the mid-1960s, when soul was commonly used to describe African-American culture.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Japanese ソウルフード
  • ソウルフード (sōru fūdo)Nourishment for the soul
Korean 소울푸드
  • 소울푸드 (soulpudeu)Nourishment for the soul
Polish soul food
  • soul foodNourishment for the soul
Cite this entry
APA

soul food. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/soul%20food

MLA

“soul food.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/soul%20food. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “soul food,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/soul%20food.

Source: soul food on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.