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February is Black History Month, a time to honor the rich culture of Black Americans. It is an opportunity to indulge in this culinary heritage, known as soul food. This comforting and flavorful cuisine is not only delicious; soul food is a celebration of many rich Black cultures, and it tells a story of resilience and community.
The history of this cuisine originates from ancestral ties to West Africa, according to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. African Americans have since passed down their unique culinary traditions to many generations.
Ancestral Ties and the Great Migration
The cuisine spread even more when Black populations shifted within the country, EatingWell explains. After the abolition of slavery, families moved from the Southern US to the North looking for work and a better life in what is called the Great Migration. Along with their families, they also transported an incredible heritage in the form of food, planting the seeds of Southern tradition in northern cities.
Fried chicken and barbecued spare ribs aside, many people today are focused on eating a healthy, nutritious diet and soul food is being embraced through a plant-based lens.
In fact, there is a movement toward nutrition within the Black American community, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine notes. A plant-based diet may help prevent heart disease and cancers, as well as assist those with high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, diseases that disproportionately affect Black Americans.
Experts are taking note of this positive shift. “Black Americans are increasingly adopting a plant-based diet for reasons including health, food justice, and the environment,” nutrition expert Jennifer Paul tells the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
Celebrate Black History Month With These Menu Ideas
Appreciate Black History Month by inviting friends over for a meal. A healthy, vegetarian menu can include okra, a well-loved, traditional vegetable from the South, a blog on immaculate bites suggests. Grill the okra and serve it with a dipping sauce.
A typical soul food meal may also include crumbly, buttery Southern-style cornbread. This pairs well with a steaming bowl of black-eyed pea soup. Offer a side dish of savory collard greens that have been slowly simmered in a spicy broth. To round out the vegetable offerings, include nutritious turnip greens, which are deeply rooted in Southern Black culture.
A rich and comforting dish, mac and cheese is another staple in the US, the BBC reports. One of the most beloved baked dishes in American kitchens today, this recipe may have been popularised by James Hemings, the Black head chef of Thomas Jefferson. One of the first American chefs trained in France, Hemings mastered this pasta cheese dish, which he likely brought to the US in the late 18th century.
Hemings prepared it at Monticello, Jefferson's iconic home, where he called the dish macaroni pie. At the estate it was a favorite dish, eventually becoming a well-loved meal across the country.
Finally, end the feast on a high note with a classic sweet potato pie, recommends EatingWell. A typical heritage dessert, this sweet potato recipe came north with the Great Migration and is now served at Americans' Thanksgiving tables.
The act of preparing and sharing soul food with friends is a wonderful way to honor Black History Month. Now is the time to celebrate this important part of American history and culture, one that tells a story of resilience and honors community. It is also an opportunity to pay tribute to soul food’s important influence on American cuisine to this day.
