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What to eat in Decatur? Where to eat in Decatur? 3 Traditional Foods You Have To Try in Decatur

The best traditional dishes in Decatur and the best authentic restaurants that make them, recommended by industry professionals.
Last update: Thu Mar 20 2025
3 Traditional Foods You Have To Try in Decatur
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01

Cake

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
3.7
Icebox Cake
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Icebox cake is a sweet dessert consisting of heavy cream, sugar, and chocolate cookies or wafers. The heavy cream is typically whipped into stiff peaks and combined with cookies to form alternating layers of whipped cream and cookies. The concoction is then left in the icebox (refrigerator) to chill overnight.


The cream is often flavored with vanilla. This cake was introduced to the United States of America during WWI, but its popularity peaked in the 1920s and the 1930s. Today, there are many variations on the cake, both in America and Australia, with added pineapples, bananas, or chocolate pudding.

MOST ICONIC Icebox Cake

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02

Side Dish

OKLAHOMA, United States of America
3.8
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A popular side dish called fried okra is a must-have at any Southern festivity, and almost every Southern cook has a favorite recipe. Okra is usually coated with cornmeal or flour and shallow-fried in oil. It is sometimes served with ranch dressing, used for dipping the fried okra in it.

MOST ICONIC Fried Okra

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03

Rice Dish

SOUTHERN UNITED STATES, United States of America
4.0
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A classic Southern dish, hoppin' John is a hearty combination of rice, black-eyed peas, and ham hock or bacon. Even though the dish is consumed throughout the year, it is typically served on New Year's Day due to the fact that a lot of Southerners believe that eating black-eyed peas on the first day of the year will bring prosperity and good luck.


The peas represent pennies or coins, and a real coin is often placed under the bowls. Hoppin' John is often accompanied by cabbage, representing wealth, since it is the color of the US currency, and those who eat it will supposedly earn more money in the following year than those who don't indulge in it. 

MOST ICONIC Hoppin' John

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