What we know as "soul food" is the descendant of slave cooking. It is the brilliant masterpiece that derived from want. Slave cooking is distinct in its use of greens, beans, and the parts of the pig rejected at the plantation house: pig's knuckles, ears, tripe, hog maws. These were added to the corn rations which were sometimes the only food allotted to the slaves. The meager pantry was further supplemented by wild game and fish pulled from the streams. Squirrel and possum figure among the meats used, catfish, trout, and shrimp among the fish. Much soul food requires the use of only one pot, as time for cooking and money for its tools were both hard to come by. (A similar drive to conserve resources influenced the development of the wok and the Southeast Asian kitchen). Soul food, like all inspired cuisine, is greater than the sum of its parts. African and West Indian cooks and their offspring were unafraid of hot spices. Chiles figure boldly; Tabasco sauce is as prevalent as salt in soul kitchens. The variety of soul food is astonishing: chitlins or chitterlings, pig's intestines served boiled or fried in a batter; mess o' greens, or greens (most likely collard or mustard greens) cooked with salt pork until soft and delicious; red beans and rice; barbeque ribs slow-cooked long over an outdoor fire pit; sweet potato and peanut croquettes; cornbread-stuffed turkey with giblet gravy, and corn fritters -- an endless feast.