2008 Woodie Awards
Soul Food or Slave Food?
924172574@gsc.edu
Amon Kirk
Issue date: 4/15/08 Section: Letters to the editor
I am an African American, and have been one for as long as I can remember, but I've always had a skeleton in my closet. I secretly despise Black History Month. During the month of February African Americans cram the school walls with white poster board and try to squeeze several facts about influential African Americans onto each board.
Another common practice is the serving of "soul food. Cornbread, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, fried chicken, chitlins … they are all served as traditional African American foods during this month.
Most individuals feel that this is a fascinating event to take part in because the cooking of "soul food" is a grand display of the eloquent culinary skills of Africans. This is a proud tradition, a grand way of displaying our heritages as Africans.
Or is it?
Apart from corn bread and macaroni and cheese all of the latter are either slave foods or detrimental to the health of African Americans. Corn bread is a Native American food. Corn was the generic word for an edible grass that English and German settlers attached to this crop. Loosely translated corn means "small nugget." Corn was a domesticated form of teosinte, a wild grass found in Sierra Madre. Unlike Native Americans and corn bread, African Americans could not choose their diets. Slave masters had almost complete control of what the slaves ate.
"Soul Food," or slave food, is distinct in the way that it utilizes greens and pork. The majority of a slave's diet was made from food that the slave owners had thrown away such as pig feet, ham hocks and chitlins (intestines). The slaves came up with creative and inexpensive ways to utilize these foods. Cooking several dishes together in one pot was adopted, (pots and pans were scarce amongst slaves) this is why several "soul food" dishes are cooked in one pot together.
Often the only food allotted to slaves was fat back and chitlins which were added to corn rations. With few resources and limited dietary variation, slaves began to farm collard greens, which are little more than edible weeds.
Another common practice is the serving of "soul food. Cornbread, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, fried chicken, chitlins … they are all served as traditional African American foods during this month.
Most individuals feel that this is a fascinating event to take part in because the cooking of "soul food" is a grand display of the eloquent culinary skills of Africans. This is a proud tradition, a grand way of displaying our heritages as Africans.
Or is it?
Apart from corn bread and macaroni and cheese all of the latter are either slave foods or detrimental to the health of African Americans. Corn bread is a Native American food. Corn was the generic word for an edible grass that English and German settlers attached to this crop. Loosely translated corn means "small nugget." Corn was a domesticated form of teosinte, a wild grass found in Sierra Madre. Unlike Native Americans and corn bread, African Americans could not choose their diets. Slave masters had almost complete control of what the slaves ate.
"Soul Food," or slave food, is distinct in the way that it utilizes greens and pork. The majority of a slave's diet was made from food that the slave owners had thrown away such as pig feet, ham hocks and chitlins (intestines). The slaves came up with creative and inexpensive ways to utilize these foods. Cooking several dishes together in one pot was adopted, (pots and pans were scarce amongst slaves) this is why several "soul food" dishes are cooked in one pot together.
Often the only food allotted to slaves was fat back and chitlins which were added to corn rations. With few resources and limited dietary variation, slaves began to farm collard greens, which are little more than edible weeds.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 3
Pundi
posted 11/21/08 @ 10:40 AM EST
WOW, I find it rather sad that you dislike BH month so badly. I wonder if you feel ashamed for our country on the 4th of July, or Columbus day, Presidents day?
Anyway, I think it's a miracle that slaves had enough common sense to survive off of the Masa's left overs. (Continued…)
Jabari Ray
posted 12/07/08 @ 4:41 PM EST
It is not slave food. It is country cookin'. I don't know what it has to do with black history except that in this country black history is intertwined with southern history. (Continued…)
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