The history of okra

Southerners love fried okra. But do you know the history of this garden favorite?

Okra is an old plant, first grown in Ethiopia and brought to America with the slave trade. It became a fixture of southern cooking, whether lightly simmered, pickled or fried. Just look at backyard gardens across the South, and you’ll see okra.

It’s grown for its beauty and pale-yellow flowers, which resemble hibiscus (it’s actually a member of the hibiscus family). But mostly it is grown in the anticipation of crispy, cornmeal-dredged fried okra!

The Old Mill Southern Okra Breading

Our Southern Okra Breading makes the ritual of frying summer okra quite easy. Made from our stone-ground white cornmeal, this breading — and some oil — are all you need to fry okra, plain and simple.

And that’s the secret to the best fried okra — keep it simple.