7 Classic Tennessee Dishes Locals Grow Up Eating—and Never Stop Craving

Tennessee food culture runs deep, with recipes handed down through generations and flavors that stick with you long after the last bite. From fiery fried chicken to creamy desserts that melt in your mouth, these dishes tell the story of family dinners, Sunday suppers, and local diners that have fed communities for decades.

Tennesseans don’t just eat these foods—they crave them, celebrate them, and keep coming back for more no matter where life takes them.

1. Nashville Hot Chicken

Crispy fried chicken drenched in spicy cayenne oil, traditionally served on white bread with pickles—fiery, messy, and unforgettable. This dish started in the 1930s when a woman tried to punish her cheating boyfriend with extra-hot chicken, but he loved it so much he opened a restaurant.

The heat level ranges from mild to extra hot, but true locals usually go for at least medium to feel that signature burn. The chicken sits on plain white bread that soaks up all the spicy oil, with dill pickle chips cutting through the richness.

Every Nashville neighborhood has its favorite hot chicken spot, and debates about which place makes it best can get pretty heated. The combination of crunchy coating, juicy meat, and tongue-tingling spice creates an experience you’ll think about for days.

2. Meat-and-Three Plate

A true Southern institution: one hearty main like fried chicken or country ham paired with three comforting sides such as mac and cheese or greens. Meat-and-three restaurants are where working folks grab lunch, grandmas take their grandkids, and everyone knows the server by name.

The beauty of this meal lies in choosing your sides from a daily rotating selection that might include mashed potatoes, green beans, cornbread dressing, or fried okra. No two plates look exactly the same, and regulars have their favorite combinations they order week after week.

These cafeteria-style spots serve food that tastes like someone’s grandmother made it, because often someone’s grandmother actually did. Portions are generous, prices are fair, and sweet tea flows freely.

3. Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

Flaky, buttery biscuits smothered in peppery sausage gravy—breakfast perfection that shows up at family tables and diners alike. Making good biscuits requires a light touch with the dough and real butter, while the gravy needs crumbled breakfast sausage, flour, milk, and plenty of black pepper.

Grandmothers across Tennessee have their own secret techniques for the flakiest biscuits, and arguments about the proper gravy thickness can divide a room. Some folks like their gravy thick enough to stand a spoon in, while others prefer it thinner and more pourable.

This dish powers farmers through morning chores, fuels kids before school, and satisfies anyone who stayed out too late the night before.

4. Country Ham with Red-Eye Gravy

Salt-cured ham served with bold coffee-based gravy, a uniquely Tennessee flavor combo passed down through generations. The ham gets sliced thin and fried until the edges crisp up, then strong black coffee deglazes the pan to create a thin, salty-sweet gravy with a kick.

Red-eye gravy got its name from the way the coffee and ham drippings swirl together, creating a pool that looks like a bloodshot eye staring up from the plate. The flavor combination sounds strange but tastes incredible, especially when you sop it up with biscuits.

Country ham itself is a Tennessee treasure, cured with salt and aged for months to develop deep, complex flavors that regular ham can’t match. Each family and producer has their own curing methods, passed down like precious secrets.

5. Banana Pudding

Layers of vanilla wafers, bananas, and creamy pudding—often topped with meringue—served at every church potluck and family gathering. The vanilla wafers soften as they soak up the pudding, creating a texture that’s part cake, part custard, and entirely addictive.

Some Tennessee cooks top their banana pudding with toasted meringue that gets golden-brown peaks, while others prefer a simple whipped cream finish. The debate between homemade custard and boxed pudding mix divides families, though everyone agrees fresh bananas are non-negotiable.

This dessert appears at celebrations, funerals, potlucks, and Sunday dinners—basically any time Tennesseans gather to eat. Kids fight over who gets the corner piece with extra wafers, and adults often go back for seconds even when they’re completely full.

6. Fried Catfish

Cornmeal-crusted catfish fried golden and served with hushpuppies, slaw, and lemon—especially beloved near rivers and lakes. The catfish gets dredged in seasoned cornmeal that creates an incredibly crunchy coating while keeping the fish inside moist and flaky.

Tennessee’s rivers and lakes provide fresh catfish that tastes much better than anything you’ll find at a grocery store miles from water. Friday night fish fries bring communities together at churches, VFW halls, and lakeside restaurants where the smell of hot oil and cornmeal fills the air.

Hushpuppies—those crispy cornmeal fritters—come alongside every proper catfish plate, along with tangy coleslaw and maybe some tartar sauce or hot sauce.

7. Chess Pie

A simple, sweet Southern pie made with eggs, sugar, butter, and cornmeal, baked into a custardy filling that tastes like pure nostalgia. The name’s origin remains mysterious—some say it comes from chest pie because it kept well in pie chests, while others claim a Southern accent turned just pie into chess pie.

The filling requires only pantry staples that farm families always had on hand, making it a practical dessert that tastes anything but plain. When baked, the top forms a thin, crackly crust while underneath stays smooth and custardy with a texture similar to pecan pie without the pecans.

Every Tennessee grandmother has her own chess pie recipe with tiny variations that make hers taste different from everyone else’s. Some add a splash of vinegar or lemon juice for tang, while others include vanilla or a little cornmeal for texture.