The Legacy of African-American Cuisine
Popular southern foods, such as the vegetable
okra (brought to New Orleans by African slaves), are
often attributed to the importation of goods from
Africa, or by way of Africa, the West Indies, and the
slave trade. Okra, which is the principal ingredient in
the popular Creole stew referred to as gumbo, is
believed to have spiritual and healthful properties.
Rice and seafood (along with sausage or chicken),
and file ́(a sassafras powder inspired by the Choctaw
Indians) are also key ingredients in gumbo. Other
common foods that are rooted in African-American
culture include black-eyed peas, benne seeds (sesame),
eggplant, sorghum (a grain that produces sweet syrup
and different types of flour), watermelon, and peanuts.
Though southern food is typically known as ‘‘soul
food,’’ many African Americans contend that soul
food consists of African-American recipes that have
been passed down from generation to generation, just
like other African-American rituals. The legacy of
African and West Indian culture is imbued in many
of the recipes and food traditions that remain popular
today. The staple foods of African Americans, such as
rice, have remained largely unchanged since the first
Africans and West Indians set foot in the New World,
and the southern United States, where the slave pop-
ulation was most dense, has developed a cooking cul-
ture that remains true to the African-American
tradition. This cooking is aptly namedsouthern cook-
ing, the food,orsoul food. Over the years, many have
interpreted the termsoul foodbased on current social
issues facing the African-American population, such
as the civil rights movement. Many civil rights advo-
cates believe that using this word perpetuates a neg-
ative connection between African Americans and
slavery. However, as Doris Witt notes in her book
Black Hunger(1999), the ‘‘soul’’ of the food refers
loosely to the food’s origins in Africa.
In his 1962 essay ‘‘Soul Food,’’ Amiri Baraka
makes a clear distinction between southern cooking
and soul food. To Baraka, soul food includes chitter-
lings (pronounced chitlins), pork chops, fried porgies,potlikker, turnips, watermelon, black-eyed peas, grits,
hoppin’ John, hushpuppies, okra, and pancakes.
Today, many of these foods are limited among African
Americans to holidays and special occasions. South-
ern food, on the other hand, includes only fried
chicken, sweet potato pie, collard greens, and barbe-
cue, according to Baraka. The idea of what soul food is
seems to differ greatly among African Americans.General Dietary Influences
In 1992 it was reported that there is little differ-
ence between the type of foods eaten by whites and
African Americans. There have, however, been large
changes in the overall quality of the diet of African
Americans since the 1960s. In 1965, African Ameri-
cans were more than twice as likely as whites to eat a
diet that met the recommended guidelines for fat,
fiber, and fruit and vegetable intakes. By 1996, how-
ever, 28%of African Americans were reported to have
a poor-quality diet, compared to 16% of whites, and
14% of other racial groups. The diet of African Amer-
icans is particularly poor for children two to ten years
old, for older adults, and for those from a low socio-
economic background. Of all racial groups, African
Americans have the most difficulty in eating diets that
are low in fat and high in fruits, vegetables, and whole
grains. This represents an immense change in diet
quality. Some explanations for this include: (1) the
greater market availability of packaged and processed
foods; (2) the high cost of fresh fruit, vegetables, and
lean cuts of meat; (3) the common practice of frying
food; and (4) usingfatsin cooking.
Regional differences. Although there is little over-
all variability in diets between whites and African
Americans, there are many notable regional influen-
ces. Many regionally influenced cuisines emerged from
the interactions of Native American, European, Car-
ibbean, and African cultures. After emancipation,
many slaves left the south and spread the influence of
soul food to other parts of the United States. Barbecue
is one example of Africaninfluenced cuisine that is still
widely popular throughout the United States. The
Africans who came to colonial South Carolina from
the West Indies brought with them what is today
considered signature southern cookery, known asbar-
bacoa, or barbecue. The original barbecue recipe’s
main ingredient was roasted pig, which was heavily
seasoned in red pepper and vinegar. But because of
regional differences in livestock availability, pork bar-
becue became popular in the eastern United States,
while beef barbecue became popular in the west of the
country.KEY TERMS
Nutrient—Dietary substance necessary for health.
Type II diabetes—inability to regulate level of sugar
in the blood due to a reduction in the number of
insulin receptors on the body’s cellsAfrican-American diet