In soul food cooking, the seasoned liquid left after simmering greens or beans is called potlikker.
Potlikker, also spelled pot liquor, is the concentrated cooking liquid remaining after vegetables such as collard greens, mustard greens, or turnip greens have been simmered. It often contains salt, spices, and flavor from smoked pork or other seasonings. The liquid was traditionally valued as food rather than discarded.
Historically, potlikker was especially important in the rural American South, where cooks used every useful part of available ingredients. It could be eaten with cornbread, spooned over vegetables, or consumed as a nourishing broth. The word refers to the liquid itself, not to the greens left in the pot.
A common mix-up is confusing potlikker with gravy. Gravy is usually thickened and served as a sauce, while potlikker is generally thin and comes directly from simmering food. Its spelling varies by region and publication.