A succotash is a simple, hearty dish made from lima beans and corn kernels cooked together, often with butter and seasonings. The name comes from a Narragansett word meaning “broken corn kernels,” and Native Americans in what is now New England were making versions of this dish long before European settlers arrived.

The beauty of succotash lies in its simplicity: two vegetables that grow well together and complement each other's flavors. Traditional succotash uses lima beans, but modern versions sometimes include other beans or add peppers, tomatoes, or okra. Some families serve it as a side dish at Thanksgiving alongside turkey and stuffing.

You might recognize succotash from old cartoons, where Sylvester the Cat famously sputters “Sufferin' succotash!” when frustrated. But succotash also represents an important part of American cooking history, showing how Indigenous ingredients and techniques became woven into the nation's cuisine. When corn and lima beans ripen together in late summer, making succotash connects you to centuries of cooks who discovered that these two crops, planted side by side in the same field, taste wonderful together on the same plate.