The story of African-American food is one of survival, evolution and love.
"During slavery, mama fed her young by giving up her own food," so food became a way to express affection in African-American families, says Jessica B. Harris, author of five cookbooks about African-influenced food, including her latest, "The Welcome Table: African-American Heritage Cooking" (Simon & Schuster, $24).
Ms. Harris' new cookbook documents the history of African-American food and provides more than 200 authentic recipes gathered from the kitchens of African-Americans from "generations of church suppers, fish frys, barbecues, family reunions and Sunday school picnics" all over the country. Her recipes are mostly traditional, such as Hoppin' John and Hoe Cakes, but included are foods from the African diaspora, like Hearts of Palm and Pineapple Salad from Brazil.
Zanne Zakroff, the executive food editor at Gourmet Magazine, has high praise for the book. "The recipes we tested here, are inseparable from the best of American food. Considering that the first slaves were brought here three or four years after the founding of the Jamestown colony, African-American cooking is possibly even more American than apple pie."
This is also more than a cookbook. "It is a folk history book with recipes. As somebody who loves food, it's a great way to learn history," says Carolyn Margolis, of the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institution, and national board member of the American Institute of Wine and Food.
Ms. Harris, a Ph.D. who speaks English, Spanish, French and Portuguese, used translated Arabic records, slave journals and other texts to chronicle the development of early African foods to contemporary African-American cuisine in her 20-page introduction. Many of the recipes are illuminated with stories of the people and circumstances surrounding their creation.
The author brings to life the long and forced voyage from Africa, the 250 years of slavery, and the aftermath of the Civil War, when cooking and eating was fraught with hardship, deprivation and, most importantly, innovation.
While slave cooks were toiling long hours preparing multi-course feasts for plantation owners, slaves scrambled to create meals for their families often with only pig ears or pig tails for flavoring. Coming back to their slave quarters at the end of a long day, they had to develop quicker ways of preparing food.
"The slave diet was essentially vegetarian, because no one was giving away meat," says Ms. Harris. So while today a traditional African-American meal might include fried chicken, corn bread and greens, during slavery, "greens was it," she says.
In spite of the hardships, blacks introduced new cooking methods, such as deep-frying, and making gumbos to the mostly English repertoire. They also added ingredients popular in African foods, such as black-eyed peas, peanuts, okra and sesame seeds, forever changing the taste and complexion of Southern foods.
After the Civil War, "there was a culinary upheaval among the plantation class, because they no longer had any food or money," says Ms. Harris, who says that blacks taught the suddenly poor whites a new, frugal way to cook. "They were all scrambling for the same hog jaw," she says.
Confusion over Southern food and "soul food" still exists today, although most, including Ms. Harris, agree that they are basically the same. "Poor folks food is poor folks food," she says.
Southern foods move north
And the migration northward of many former slaves brought the traditional foods of the South into Northern homes. Except for Joe Frogger's molasses cookies, a popular Massachusetts treat, there are no other traditional African-American foods that originated outside of the South, says Ms. Harris, because "most African-Americans have Southern roots."
After years of enriching American food, now African-American cuisine is in turn being enriched by foods from the Caribbean, Brazil and Africa. The increased immigration to the United States from Africa and points from the African diaspora has added new flavors and ingredients to traditional holiday meals. It's not uncommon to see tropical fruits and hot peppers among the foods for a Kwanzaa celebration, for instance.
And favorite dishes have been lightened up in many cases because of concerns about obesity and hypertension among blacks. Even though Ms. Harris has focused on the authentic and traditional African-American foods, many of which are flavored with pork, she encourages those with health concerns to choose foods which are lower in fat and salt. The Brazilian style greens recipe following, is an example of a healthier version of an old favorite and an example of how foods from the African diaspora are making their way into African-American households.
Much of Ms. Harris' interest in food developed during travel abroad. When she first tasted South Carolina's red rice dish, she knew that its origins were in Senegal, where she had eaten an identical dish called thiebou dienn. She wasn't shocked to learn that slaves were brought to work in South Carolina's rice fields from the rice-growing Casamance region of southern Senegal.
After her many travels and writing books about African, Caribbean, and Brazilian foods, she decided "it was time bring it on home."
A life's work
"The Welcome Table" is the compilation of her entire life of culinary learning and the most personal of her books. She says, "It had to, as the French say, 'mijoter' to simmer and stew," before she could write this story of her people, her family and her food.
Limpin' Susan is the little-known "cousin" of Hoppin' John, the dish of black-eyed peas and rice eaten by many African-Americans on New Year's Day.
Limpin' Susan
Serves 4
5 strips lean bacon
3 cups thinly sliced okra
1 small onion, minced
1 cup washed raw long-grain rice
1 cup water
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces and fry it in a heavy skillet until it is crisp and has rendered most of its fat. Add the okra and onion and saute them in the bacon drippings, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and the okra is tender. Add the rice, water and salt and pepper and continue to cook for 5 minutes, making sure all ingredients are well mixed.
Transfer the rice and okra mixture to the top section of a steamer, add water to the bottom, cover, and cook until the rice is fluffy and dry. The cooking times will vary depending on the type of rice, but this should take between 45 minutes and 1 hour. Serve hot.
Quick Greens, Brazil Style
Serves 4 to 6
2 pounds fresh collard greens
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup warm water
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Wash the collard greens thoroughly to remove any dirt or grit. Drain well. Pick over the greens, discarding any that are old and cutting out any discolored spots and fleshy ribs. Place leaves in a pile, roll them into a thick cylinder and cut them in strips crosswise. Fluff the cut greens into a bowl. Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet, add the garlic, and cook until it is slightly browned. Add the greens and cook, tossing frequently to make sure they are well-coated with olive oil and garlic. Add the water and seasonings, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove and serve warm.
Charleston Red Rice
Serves 4 to 6
6 strips lean bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
3 scallions, minced, including the green parts
2 cups coarsely chopped, seeded, and peeled ripe tomatoes
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
3/4 cup minced cooked ham
salt, pepper, and hot sauce, to taste
Heat oven to 350 degrees. On top of the stove, heat a heavy, cast-iron skillet, add the bacon strips, and cook until crisp. Remove the bacon strips and drain them on paper towels. Cook the onion and scallions in the remaining bacon fat until translucent. Crumble the bacon and add the bacon bits, tomatoes, and the remaining ingredients to the skillet. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Place the seasoned rice and tomato mixture in a greased 1 1/2 quart ovenproof casserole. Adjust the seasonings, cover and bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
HOMECOOKING AWAY FROM HOME
Jessica Harris, author of "The Welcome Table: African-American Heritage Cooking" (Simon & Schuster, $24), cautions that traditional African-American cooking is at its best when eaten at a friend's house or when prepared by a mother or grandmother. Since that's not an option for everyone, she lists in her book restaurants around the country that serve good African-American food. Below is a partial list of Baltimore restaurants she recommends:
Benny's, 2701 N. Charles St., (410) 366-7779
Five Mile House, 5302 Reisterstown Road, (410) 542-4895
Micah's Cafeteria, 5401 Reisterstown Road, (410) 764-9206
Yellow Bowl, 1234 N. Greenmount Ave., (410) 685-2932