The History of Soul Food
Soul food is a type of food made by many African Americans in the United States, and various people enjoy this comfort food. Soul food originated with slavery in the United States when slaves were given only leftovers to eat or were allowed to use only the parts of animals that were considered undesirable. They transformed the use of these materials into their own style of cooking that was inexpensive and tasted delicious. The recipes were shared through families and passed down through generations from memory. Many African Americans still eat soul food today, although it is generally reserved for holiday meals and special occasions.
Traditional African foods are widely varied, because Africa is so large, with many different groups of people. Foods common to one area may be foreign in another and influences from other countries have affected diets in certain parts of Africa. Many Africans use the local foods that are available to them. This can include fruits, such as plantains; and grains, such as sorghum, couscous, and rice. Cow’s milk is not common in many areas, but there is goats milk for dairy. Wild game, chicken, and beef are eaten, although this varies in different parts of the continent. Many Africans eat all kinds of vegetables. Maize, yams, okra, and greens are the most common.
When slave trade began in the 1600’s, thousands of Africans were forced to move from their homes and their common foods. In the New World, they had to use what they were given, and many new recipes developed. They also raised some of their own traditional foods, such as okra, black-eyed peas, rice, and turnips. This adaptation showed in their recipes and their cooking.
Across America, cultural influences affected soul food, and recipes and preparation varied. Slaves were influenced in their cooking by the different regions where they lived and so their foods adapted. For instance, in the south, near current-day Louisiana, the French Creole population mixed with African American cooking to form some of the spicy food such as gumbo that we think of today. Other slaves were also brought to America from the Caribbean, bringing traditional foods that mixed with soul foods, such as Jamaican jerk chicken.
The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 changed soul food in America. Slaves were now free, although many still remained poor and their cooking continued to reflect that. They still used cheap ingredients that were available. Soul food traveled across the country as freed slaves moved away from where they had been living. Many began working at jobs cooking for others and soul food cuisine became mainstream as others began to enjoy the dishes as well. In the 1960’s, during the civil Rights Movement, more rights for African Americans brought more freedoms for families to be together and simply enjoy their food. Many soul food restaurants began to open during this time. The term “soul” has also been used to refer to unity of the Black community.
Common dishes of soul food cuisine are chitterlings, which are made from pig intestines and Hopping Johns, which are black eyed peas with pork sausage. Butter beans, collared or mustard greens, hoe cakes, cornbread, and custard pie are also common soul food dishes. The delicious varieties of soul food have brought comfort to many over time as outward circumstances have dictated otherwise. African people used soul food in a way that brought their own culture to America during a time when everything else was taken away.
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