Black History, Soul Food’s Origin By LTC Brenda D. White, MS, RD, LDN.

Photo By Scott Speaks | Oxtails served over pork infused rice is one of the traditional soul food entrée served during Eisenhower Army Medical Center's Black History Month celebration meal held February 22, 2024 at Ike's Café.  

FORT EISENHOWER, GA, UNITED STATES

02.28.2024

Story by Scott Speaks 

Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center

More than 12 million men, women, and children were taken from various parts of Africa during the Atlantic Slave Trade on/about 1526 to 1867 to some northern states, but primarily the southern states. For those slaves who survived the harsh conditions of the slave ships, upon arrival within the states, they were sold or traded to various white owners of farms, plantations, businesses (i.e., industry, commerce, etc.). Those slaves sold to plantation owners were considered mere property and were divided into house or field slaves. The field or outdoor slaves worked on the outside doing hard, physical, manual labor such as tilling the soil for food or industry; the foods/commercial products consisted of corn, sweet potatoes, peas, beans, greens, tobacco, cotton, etc. They also managed the farm animals (i.e., pigs, cows, chickens) for slaughter. House slaves, however, served their owners as housekeepers, cooks, maids, seamstresses, etc. House slaves were often considered to be more privileged than field slaves as they had better access to food and their owner’s leftovers or hand-me-downs.

Research indicates that most slaves, whether, house or field, lived in shabby, meager accommodations with dirt floors and received weekly food rations from their owners of “corn meal, lard, salt fish, some meat (pigs’ intestines and skin), molasses, peas, greens, and flour.” Some owners allowed their slaves to harvest small gardens of vegetables, often on hard, uncultivated land. When vegetables were sparse or nonexistent, the modification/preparation of many of their meals, although tasty, greatly reduced the nutritional value.

Thus, began the origin of soul food in southern slave-owned states with a major dash of West and Central Africa dietary inspiration (i.e., crops/staple foods brought over on the slave ships, such as okra, millet, sesame, yams, etc.). Slaves adapted to the cuisine of the weekly slave owner’s rations, often combined with African staple foods, slain game animals (i.e., rabbits, squirrels, possums, etc.) or freshly caught seafood (i.e., fish, frogs, turtles, crawfish, etc.), stolen plantation food, and flavor-enhanced with garden-grown herbs/home-made seasonings.

The slaves’ cooking of various meats and dishes over an open fire or pit is reminiscent of African culture. Dried, hominy corn was boiled, treated with lye, and later fried or crushed into cornmeal. When small game or seafood was sparse, the chitterlings (scraps) became a fatty meat of sustenance for slaves. This was not unusual for many of the slaves, as in African culture, each edible part of the animal was used for food – whether intestines, feet, eyes, etc. Substitutions for various healthier foods, readily available in Africa, became commonplace (i.e., sweet potatoes in lieu of yams, fried cornmeal in lieu of millet, etc.)

Today, many soul food dishes are still greatly influenced by African culture, such as red beans and rice, chicken and waffles, hopping john, gumbo, jambalaya, shrimp and grits, etc. The addition of spicy and mild peppers is often added.

Consumption, of soul food daily, is highly discouraged due to its high-fat, salt, cholesterol, etc. content, and associated health risks of various diseases/ailments - hypertension, heart disease, stroke, etc. However, in moderation, soul food and its’ origin can be respected and relished.


References:

1. Mintz, S. (2020) Historical Context: Facts about the slave trade and slavery, The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/teacher-resources/historical-context-facts-about-slave-trade-and-slavery
2. Bradford, M. (2020, July 18). African Crops and Slave Cuisine. https://shwenshwen.com/african-crops-and-slave-cuisine/
3. Boston, N. (2004). The Slave Experience: Living Conditions. https://www.thirteen.org/wnet/slavery/experience/living/history.html
4. Mekouar, D. (2019, March 6). How Enslaved Africans Helped Invent American Cuisine. https://www.voanews.com/a/how-enslaved-africans-helped-invent-american-cuisine-/4814817.html

• Date Taken: 02.28.2024
• Date Posted: 02.28.2024 12:02
• Story ID: 464891
• Location: FORT EISENHOWER, GA, US
• Hometown: FORT EISENHOWER, GA, US