HISTORY
USING ALL OF WHAT YOU HAVE *
"'Soul food' has become shorthand for all African-American cooking, but it’s really the food of the interior Deep South, that landlocked area of mainly Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama—essentially what used to be called the Cotton Belt and the Black Belt. It’s the food of that area that has been transported across the United States by African-American migrants who left during the Great Migration." -Adrian Miller
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE SOUL
Soul food is a term that originated in during the Jim Crow era. The "soul" in soul food comes from the music that black jazz musicians used to play in during that 1940s and 50s. Black jazz music sewed its roots in the black church and rural south. Thus, the fusion of the gospel sound and jazz music produced something that had "soul." The soul aspect of the music was adopted to describe almost all aspects of black culture. However, soul food, itself, was present way before a term was ever given for it.
THE BEGINNING OF SEASONING IN AMERICA
The dishes as well as ingredients used in the soul food tradition originated during American slavery. Throughout the United States slave owners would regulate the amount of food that African-American slaves were able to receive. The food that enslaved Africans were given were the leftovers and undesired portions of meats and produce found on plantations throughout the United States. During a specified day of the week slaves were generally given five pounds of starch, a coupled of pounds of the cheapest meats, and a jug of molasses. The scarcity of food and variety caused the enslaved people to learn ways to supplement their diets through various foraging, hunting, and agricultural means. In addition to farming the various produce they had been given, enslaved peoples also were able to harvest and plant some of the various plants that originated from Africa. One such crop that they were able to grow were red peas, which became the original ingredient in the rice and beans dish Hoppin' John.
On the average day slaves would rise early in the morning to eat a starch filled breakfast that was typically poured into a trough. Some time in the early afternoon they would eat dinner, which consisted of boiled vegetables with meat and pepper to add flavor and seasoning. Later on in the day slaves would have a evening supper consisting of leftovers from dinner and cold cornbread. It was only on the weekends that slaves were able to gain access to better ingredients and foods that contained processed flour and refined sugar. The ability to take innovative measures to make dishes out of the ingredients that were available to them set the foundation for what would become the soul food tradition, however, the freedom to eat what one would like did not come until freedom came.
CELEBRATING COMMUNITY
After being freed from bondage, black people had greater freedom and access to better ingredients and foods. With more access, freedom, and community—especially by way of the Black Church—the development of the soul food tradition was able to progress further. The best food was prepared for Emancipation celebrations, holiday events, black church gatherings, and various other celebrations. Church gatherings were some of the most frequent and vital forms of these celebrations, at them Blacks would serve various food that have some to be associated with soul food (i.e. fried chicken, sweet potato pies, etc.). Blacks meals during the week were similar to the diets they had during slavery. Therefore, even decades after the Civil War, the disenfranchisement of blacks continued to endure the pre-Emancipation pattern of food poverty, which began to change during the Great Migration. During the Great Migration food was a critical factor in helping to create home and community.
SPREADING OF THE CULTURE
When the 1960s came around “soul food” was engraved into the Black consciousness and identity. The 1960s were a period of strong black cultural expression which helped to spread soul food throughout the country. In the minds of many soul food was something uniquely Black; something that whites could not replicate. More over soul food became a connector for many Black folks, allowing there to be an even greater sense of community among Blacks in America. The connection of Blacks through food, community, and struggle helped “soul” to by synonymous with blackness to this day.
*Roundtree, Katherine. Together We Give Thanks. Black Art Depot, Black Prayer Art Collection, https://www.blackartdepot.com/collections/artist-katherine-roundtree-art-gallery/products/together-we-give-thanks-by-katherine-roundtree
References
“African American Foodways.” Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/search/?q=african american foodways&fa=digitized:true&st=grid.
Conan, Neal. “The Importance of Soul Food.” Talk of the Nation, NPR, 4 Feb. 2004, www.npr.org/series/5443153/npr-replay-soul-food.
Miller, Adrian. “An Illustrated History of Soul Food.” First We Feast, First We Feast, 20 Oct. 2016, Accessed May 1, 2018, firstwefeast.com/eat/2015/08/an-illustrated-history-of-soul-food.
“‘Soul Food’ a Brief History.” African American Registry, 24 Feb. 2018, Accessed May 1, 2018, aaregistry.org/story/soul-food-a-brief-history/.
Wolff, Anita. “Soul Food.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 11 Aug. 2016, www.britannica.com/topic/soul-food-cuisine.
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