Southern hospitality

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Southern hospitality is a phrase used in American English to describe the idea that residents of the Southeastern United States are particularly warm and welcoming to visitors to their homes, or to the South in general. A large component of the idea of Southern hospitality is the provision of Southern cuisine to visitors, hence there are a number of cookbooks that promise recipes advancing this purpose.

Other features of Southern Hospitality include proper local etiquette (i.e., calling one "Sir" or "Ma'am," opening doors for ladies, inviting one to church functions, etc.) Although some customs may be seen as odd or even offensive by people not from the South, they are considered polite in local culture and usually meant as an expression of traditional warm greeting.