<P> Beer was such an important consumable to Americans that they would closely watch the stocks of barley held by farmers to ensure quality beer production . In John Adams' correspondence with his wife Abigail, he asked about the quality of barley crops to ensure adequate supply for the production of beer for himself and their friends . However, hops, essential to production of beer, did not grow well in the colonies . It only grew wild in the New World, and needed to be imported from England and elsewhere . In addition to these alcohol - based products produced in America, merchants imported wine and brandy . Beer was not only consumed for its flavor and alcohol content, but because it was safer to drink than water, which often harbored disease - causing microorganisms . Even children drank small beer . </P> <P> Unlike the north, the south did not have a central cultural origin or a single culinary tradition . The southern colonies were also more diverse in their agricultural products . Slaves and poor Europeans in the South shared a similar diet, based on many of the indigenous New World crops . The rural poor often hunted and ate squirrel, opossum, rabbit, and other woodland animals . Salted or smoked pork often supplemented the vegetable diet . Those on the "rice coast" ate ample amounts of rice, while the southern poor and slaves used cornmeals in breads and porridges . Wheat was not an option for most poorer residents in the southern colonies . </P> <P> Well into the eighteenth century, the Chesapeake region still relied on home - brewed cider as a primary beverage . In most small planters' households, women were responsible for the production of the drink and relied on local products to make the different ciders . This production was seasonal, as only large planters had the funds and the technology necessary to produce alcohol year round . </P> <P> The southern colonies can be culturally divided between the uplands and the lowlands, and this distinction is seen in diet and food preparation in the two regions . The diet of the uplands often included cabbage, string beans, white potatoes, while most affluent whites in the uplands avoided crops imported from Africa because they were associated with, and reflected the social inferiority of, black slaves . Those who could grow or afford wheat often had biscuits on their table for breakfast, along with healthy portions of pork . Salted pork was a staple of any meal, as it was used in the preparations of vegetables for flavor, in addition to its direct consumption as a protein . </P>

How did the settlement of america shape the cuisine of the south