The History of Soul Food



Good food shared among family and friends strengthens and nourishes. Food is often at the core of African-American family celebrations, festive holidays and commemorative gatherings.



The spirit which unifies all African-Americans in culture and heritage is part of soul food. 'Where family values are strong, the health of the community is likewise.' Just as mealtime strengthens the bond between family and friends, nutritious meals join the simple pleasure of food with the vitality of good health to strengthen our bodies and minds. During the past decades of public service leadership to improve the quality of African-American family life, medical evidence has revealed how healthful food practices can lower the risks of morbid diseases and strongly benefit a long enjoyable life.



Nutritious healthful meals are at the roots of African-American cookery. This cuisine is proof that the taste appeal and satisfaction from traditional meals can be preserved while strengthening and nourishing our bodies. The scraps of food slaves survived on were heartily seasoned with good nutrition. These recipes are in the spirit of the same loving warmth that was lavished on shared meals for hundreds of years. They draw on the valuable resource of the healthful attributes of food preparation, which have sustained African-Americans through life's challenges to this day.



Soul food is fondly described as 'food made with feeling and care.' It evolved from the rich heritage of African customs, was shaped by Southern cookery practices, expanded by the similarly habits of Native Americans, and regionally influenced by West Indian, Caribbean and French cooking.



As slaves, African-Americans were not permitted to learn how to read and write, so they cooked not from recipes but 'by knowing,' giving strong credence to the essence of 'soul food.' Slaves had virtually no control or choice in life, so cooking became a way to express feeling, share love and nurture family and friends. Meals were a time for sharing common feelings of happiness and sorrow. Food was comfort while in bondage, and because they could control cooking, it was one of their few real pleasures, a way to feel free.



It is interesting that the roots of soul food, African diets, were very much in line with dietary recommendations today. Although they varied by continental region, the basic similarities included cereal from ground grains, rice, nuts, fish, wild game, onions, yams, mangoes, melons, roots and leaves. Grains, rice, fruits, vegetables and plant parts are all major sources of complex carbohydrate that should make up most of the American diet. Additionally, wild game tends to be lower in fat than most domestic farm animals raised today for mass production.



Their involuntary journey away from the motherland removed Africans from their healthful roots. On ships enroute to America, slaves were fed a paste of boiled beans and lard, rice and yams. Peanuts were sometimes included but meat was rare. Nourishing meals to 'fatten slaves up' before sale were common. The survival of Africans on such a meager subsistence under severely stressful and abruptly different environmental conditions is evidence of a strong, hardy race of survivors.



With the slave trade came four major contributions to soul and southern cuisine. Sesame seeds, cowpeas or black-eyed peas, okra and watermelon seeds were originally brought to North America from Africa. The peanut, from which the term goober was derived from African pronunciation, originated in South America, but was introduced into North America by way of the slave trade. Except for watermelon, which was introduced from seeds, these new foods lasted during the slow ocean journey and adapted quickly to the Southern environment.



The birth of soul food began when the first African slaves arrived in the new land. Controlled by their owners, their diets were influenced by southern practices. It is ironic that pork is such a prominent part of soul food today, because most African tribal religious beliefs prohibited pork. Yet, it became the meat of choice in the South after the first settlers -- who originally preferred mutton -- discovered that pigs were easier to raise and quicker to fatten up.



Corn is another notable influence on soul food from the Americas. It was actually introduced to Africa from America. Because it could feed animals and slaves, and sow the land, corn was the plentiful grain of choice among Southerners.



It may also come as a surprise that pork and corn were actually the restricted foods in slave diets. Slaves were given a weekly ration of corn meal and meat scraps considered 'unfit' for the owners. They received as little as nine pints of corn and one pound of meat parts per person per week. Sometimes the basics were supplemented with rice, syrup and fruit.



So, the pigs feet, intestine or chitterlings, jowls and ribs; chicken feet, necks, backs, wings and organ meats; and cornmeal cereals and quick breads which created meals became known as soul food. The culinary skill which made such leftover odds and ends the nourishment for hard laborers is a unique distinction of soul food. Slaves cooked with their whole heart, doing their best with sparse ingredients. It was truly an __expression of creativity with limited resources.



Slaves often grew vegetables near their quarters. During their rare free time, usually on Sundays, they could hunt and fish for wild game to supplement the limited meat in their diet. Since they prepared their own meals, the food and cooking methods they preferred were similar to native practices.



Sweet potatoes, for example, have always been popular among African-Americans. They originated in South America but to slaves who called them 'nyam' which means 'to eat,' they appeared similar to African yams. Collard, mustard and turnip greens, cabbage and kale were like the leafy greens of their homeland. Grits, made from dried hulled corn kernels or hominy, which originated from Native Americans, was similar to the cereal made from ground grain eaten in Africa. Beans, rice, squash and melons were also familiar foods.



With such limited food supply, African-Americans found preparing food tastefully to be one of their rare creative outlets The African tradition helped them to combine complementary ingredients. Small portions of meat were stretched to combine complementary ingredients. Small portions of meat were stretched to flavor vegetable dishes. Rice and corn were combined with beans and peas in dishes such as 'Hoppin' John.' Poke salad, a combination of greens including dandelions and cresses were common. Stewing tenderized the meat while gravies from leftovers extended it.



The West Indian influence of full, rich tastes, hot spices and hearty seasoning such as garlic, peppers, bay leaves and hot pepper sauce resulted in regionally influenced meals. Soul food from the New Orleans region used Gulf shrimp in French-influenced Creole dishes like jambalaya, and okra in dishes like gumbo. Red beans and rice were plentiful in Louisiana and Cajun catfish popular along the Mississippi. Even the cooking utensils -- cast iron skillets and large kettles over the fire -- were a means of combining foods for hearty, satisfying one-pot meals.



African-Americans also shaped southern cuisine because slaves cooked for their owners. Deep fat frying, popular in the south, was a means of using high heat to cook meats quickly. The breaded coatings sealed in moisture during the process.



Barbecue, from a Spanish word meaning grate, originated from cooking over open fire or coals and was popular after big game catches. The young male slaves were responsible for roasting the meat or turning the whole carcass on a spit for their masters coating meats with sweetened sauce sealed in the juices, while the fats which dripped on the coals smoked a rich flavor back onto the meat.



The nutritional contributions of soul food are remarkable. Slaves had to be strong and hardy to survive on their meager diets under such physically demanding conditions. Once in America, male and female slaves labored all day, with a 30-minute break for breakfast in the morning and two hour break at the hottest portion of the day when they often had to do lighter chores. They worked at least 12 hours in the fields and five or six hours bringing in crops, carrying water from the well, caring for animals and cutting grass. At harvest time, some records show 18-hour workdays.



Back then, soul food was hearty nourishment that met intense labor needs. Corn, rice and beans met physical energy needs with carbohydrate and added fiber. The sparse but fatty meat scraps were sparing sources of protein and concentrated calories from fat, readily burned off with daily activity. Leafy green vegetables provided essential vitamins and minerals. Even the cooking water, which was full of nutrients and called 'pot licker,' was drunk or used in soups and stews. Watermelon, which is more than 90% water, replenished fluid lost while toiling in the hot sun.



Since slave times, economic challenges have compounded somewhat elusive food choices. African-Americans were forced to make do economically in difficult times. So the foods known as soul foods continued after the Civil War. Resourcefulness and inventiveness became a distinctive culinary tradition as African-American women used their own style and flavor. Soul food continued as compassion food because the ability to cook and nourish children and friends has remained a real pleasure that bonds loved ones together.



Soul food is as well known today as any other cuisine. Meal time is still time for family togetherness. A typical spread of deep fried chicken, collard greens with fatback, candied sweet potatoes, cornbread and fruit cobbler is part of any family gathering just as grits and home fried potatoes are common for Sunday breakfast, black-eyed peas and ham hocks are a New Year's holiday tradition and barbecued spareribs and watermelon are a part of summer picnics.



All these foods are powerhouses of nutrition. Greens and sweet potatoes are excellent sources of vitamin A and beta-carotene, which some health experts believe may protect against certain types of cancer. Beans, rice and corn all good sources of fiber provide complex carbohydrates, which the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Dietary Guidelines recommend make up most of your diet. When combined these grains can also provide good sources of protein.



Along with freedom, however, energy needs have changed. Today's sedentary jobs require few calories. Yet, many African-Americans are choosing to indulge in overabundant portions of excessively fatty cuts of pork and beef, deep fried poultry and fish, heavily salted dishes and sugary deserts. A greater reliance on prepared snacks and fast foods is compromising the important balance of fruits and vegetables in the diet.



African-American men are more likely than Caucasian men to be hypertensive -- a condition linked to excessive sodium and inadequate potassium that can lead to strokes. Obesity, which is directly related to a high calorie and high fat intake and can trigger diabetes, is more prevalent among African-American women than white women. Heart and blood vessel diseases, linked to animal fats and colon-rectal cancer associated with high-fat diets, have all take serious toll on the quality of African-American health.



Besides overabundance, many African-American children and childbearing females have low levels of iron that can cause anemia. Because diet can influence the prevention, treatment and control of all these health conditions, wise food selection is especially important today.



African-Americans need only to draw on the foods, habits and practices which sustained the race over the years to improve eating habits. Current guidelines recommend that whole grains, vegetables and fruits make up most of the diet. Corn, rice, dried beans and leafy greens are ethnically familiar foods that meet these needs.



Although slaves were once forced to use meat sparingly, this very cooking technique is a valuable way to cut back on fat and cholesterol. The recommended three-ounce serving of cooked meat may appear lacking. But, mixed with vegetables or rice, the portion is stretched, giving a flavorful meaty mouthful with very bite while remaining within healthful limits. Seasoning foods with garlic, onion, red and black pepper, hot sauce, bay leaf, lemon and vinegar bypasses salt with a Creole and Cajun flair. Even the old time cooking methods of cast iron skillets increase the content of iron in foods.