And bread an potatoes arent depression era food.
Most southern traditional foods are actually more African decent and civil war era. As the north randacked the South especially during Shermans march to the sea they raided farms and food coffers to feed the union army. Things like blackeyed peas, collard greens, okra, and others were left and viewed as animal feed as the union soldiers had never seen them, much less ate them. Because of its African influence they were more southern. As such that's all that was left for southernors to survive on in many places. That's why southerners eat black-eyed peas and collard greens on new years day for "luck" because they were lucky to have them.
Funny story. A few years back as a little southern fuck you i sat on the steps of Shermans boyhood home in Lancaster Ohio and ate black eyed peas and collard greens.