The popularity of macaroni and cheese in the United States is all thanks to James Hemings, the enslaved cook of Thomas Jefferson, who learned the recipe while training in Europe and brought it back to the United States. While there are probably thousands, if not millions, of different ways to make the dish, every Southerner worth their salt can agree on one thing: it must be baked.

Say "collard greens" and countless people will have vivid memories of sinks full of the leafy vegetable ready to be washed and cooked for supper. Many recipes rely on smoked meats for flavor, and this one is no exception with smoked turkey parts providing the traditional taste.

While many might argue otherwise, yams and sweet potatoes are not the same thing. Yams are a completely different plant, but some growers in the 1930s started to use the term for orange-fleshed sweet potatoes and confusion ensued. Regardless of what they're called, when candied, they are delicious.

Pecans have been on this land since before the United States existed. The pie became popular in the 1920s when Karo, the corn syrup manufacturer, began including recipes on its cans of the product. And with pecans being grown in many Southern states and the harvest season in the fall, pecan pie easily became a Southern Thanksgiving staple.