Made with Love: The History and Heart of Soul Food 

Some of the most tightly preserved family holiday traditions involve food. Many cherished holiday memories of holidays past are spawn from the delicious aromas wafting from kitchens around the country. Mothers, grandmothers, and family chefs, will gather around kitchen tables, phones, and computers to exchange recipes. Tales will be told of the time so and so made the perfect roast, or that heavenly pie recipe from a holiday dinner three years ago, or the time a recipe was changed (even slightly) and the entire holiday meal suffered. This ceremony of recipe swapping, cooking, and breaking bread with family spans across generations and cultures. For African American families in the U.S., this heart-to table exchange is known as soul food.

The holiday tables of black families all around the country usually hold cornbread, collard greens, mac and cheese, turkey, fried chicken, corn, green beans. The African American holiday table has become so mainstream, that the contents recently went viral last year with 10.7 million YouTube viewers spreading across social media the “you name it” song that lists a delicious spread found on grandma’s table. Although hundreds of years have passed since the necessary invention of soul food, when you get down to the menu; As the old saying goes- the more things change, the more they stay the same.  

Although soul food is tantalizing to most, many feel torn because of the politics surrounding the social-economic history of the cuisine. Soul food is not just known for being fried, covered and smothered. It’s also known for being deeply rooted in heritage and conflict.  

History of Soul Food

What we now know as Soul food originated in the U.S. began during the Atlantic slave trade. When traders from foreign countries started to set up trading ports and trading agriculture, in 1492, Portuguese and Indonesian traders brought new crops, (such as corn and plantains) that were incorporated as staples in the African diet. Slave traders began an agricultural trade with farmers along the African Coast. In the 15th through the 18th Centuries, Ethnic mixing brought about the first African American Cuisine created by West Africans, Western Europeans, and Amerindians. 

In the 17th Century, American foods such as kale, cabbage, black-eyed peas, okra, spinach, squash, watercress, watermelon, yams, corn, pumpkins, and peanuts were introduced to African culture via the Igbo tribe in Nigeria. In the late 1700’s, Corn was introduced to the Mandingo Africans (Burkina Faso, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, the Ivory Coast, and Ghana) and it became a staple in their diet.

During the Atlantic Slave Trade, corn and sweet potatoes were imported to Africa. Women on the Guinea coast created a cornbread recipe that became a staple for Portuguese slave traders due to the bread’s long shelf life while at sea. After being enslaved and brought to America, African slaves continued to blend traditional African and American dishes. Slave rations were meager and did not include much meat. The meat was initially used as a seasoning. At the turn of the century, meat such as fried chicken and pork chops were reserved for holidays and special Sunday dinners. Once soul food became mainstream, these Sunday dinners were marketed by restaurants as every day “Soul Food”. 

What is “Soul”?

From soul food restaurants to viral videos, soul food has now become as mainstream to Americans as apple pie.The phrase “Soul Food” did not originate with the cuisine itself. The term “Soul Food” was not made widely popular until 1963 when writer Alex Haley presented it in Malcolm X’s autobiography. In the 1960’s, with the rise of the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Nationalism, “soul” was a phrase frequently attached to the things involving the Black American experience.                                                                              

During this time, “Soul” was being used to describe things strongly connected the black American experience. Writer, Joel Rudinow notes in, Soul Music: Tracking the Spiritual Roots of Pop from Plato to Motown- “Over the next decade the term became a potent signifier of solidarity within the African American community in the struggle for black power, and as such it was applied to all manner of cultural production and expression—from cuisine (soul food) to hairstyles (soul patch) and special recognition handshakes (soul brother).” 

The topic of black culture and soul food became so trendy that it began to make its way into the world of high fashion. In May of 1969, Bergdorf Goodman’s hosted “Basic Black at Bergdorf’s,” a fashion event and fundraiser to raise money for the Northside Center, a Harlem based nonprofit organization. At the fashion event, black models walked the runways, and Bergdorf’s served a menu consisting of chitterlings, fried chicken, greens, black-eyed peas, and of course, champagne. 

Timeline: From “Slave” Food to Southern Food to Soul Food

1870’s- 1954 - Jim Crow Laws brought enforced racial separation that prohibited blacks from eating in many white-owned restaurants. This prohibition significantly limited food options for African Americans. As a result, many black Americans opened their own restaurants catering primarily to other black customers. 

1910-1970 - The Great Migration- Over a 6.5 African Americans migrated from The Southern States to the North and Midwest. The Great Migration happened in 2 waves. The first big migration occurred from 1910-1940. The second wave took place 1940-1970. The Great Migration consisted of millions of farm workers and sharecroppers, which created a movement of African American cuisine and recipes to new regions. 

1937-1967 - Victor Green (a U.S. postal worker) published, The Negro Motorist Green-Book, a travel guidebook that listed the safest places for African American travelers to sleep, participate in leisure activities, get a haircut, and eat while on the road. The New York Public Library Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture has published a digital online collection of The Green Book. 

1960’s - Southern restaurants were opened in the northern states by southern blacks. African American southern cuisine and was marketed as “Soul Food.”

1963 - Writer Alex Haley presented the term Soul Food in Malcolm X’s autobiography, making it a more common phrase. Southern food became known as soul food.

 The Politicization of Soul Food

During the 1960’s, the topic of soul food became more political. The origin and validity of soul food sparked intellectual and philosophical debates among Americans. In the book, Hog and Hominy: Soul Food from Africa to America, author Frederick Douglass Opie describes three schools of thought that developed regarding the newly recognized “Soul Food” cuisine. Black intellectuals argued the invention and intellectual ownership of soul food as the property of African Americans. Many African Americans argued that traditional soul food was unhealthy and as a result creating chronic health conditions that were killing the black community. Among the believers of this idea were natural food advocates, college-educated African Americans, and members of the Nation of Islam. White intellectuals argued that soul food was regional southern food and not solely the intellectual capital of African American. Regardless of which point of view people agreed with, the fact that soul food was on the rise touched the lives of everyone and created a lasting change the American culinary experience. 

 Fusion Food Movement

For the past decade, the celebrity Chef movement has been growing at a fast pace. The show Top Chef first aired on Bravo in March of 2006 and ever since then the world has been flooded with a barrage of gorgeous faces cooking gorgeous meals. Many celebrity chefs have become famous by utilizing their good looks, big personalities, and knowledge of cuisine from diverse and varying cultures. 

Today, celebrity chefs who’ve mastered “fusion cuisine” are popping up all over television and Youtube. In the 1980’s Florida based chef Norman Van Ake, borrowed the term “fusion” from the music scenes occurring in jazz, rock, and R&B music of the time. Ake used the term to describe the global influences of his cuisine. Terms like “fusion” and “global” become common among chefs who were borrowing techniques and recipes from various cultures. Fusion cuisine became even more popular with the rise of celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, whose cuisine was deeply inspired by the diversity of cultures in California. It didn’t take long for the fusion trends to carry over into soul food cuisine.  

In 2010, at the height of gentrification, celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson opened Red Rooster in the heart of Harlem on Lenox Avenue. Chef Samuelsson’s new cuisine blended the tastes from his childhood in Sweden with the flavors and spirituality of his African homeland, Ethiopia. The Red Rooster menu and restaurant decor reflected the traditions and styles of traditional African American culture that had grown in Harlem over the past century. 

Vegan Soul

 In the 1970’s there was an intersection of food trends that most likely gave birth to vegan soul food. As educated African Americans began questioning the healthiness of soul food, many began to explore healthier options. 1n 1971, Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappé was published, and it questioned the need for the amount of meat and dairy consumption. It made the argument that at the rate of current consumption, the world could experience significant toll on agriculture and the environment. Vegetarian increased in the 1970’s. Also, during this period many African Americans were connecting poor health in the community to diet.

 Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam, wrote a book, published in 1972 called How To Eat to Live. How to Eat to Live outlined the pillars of healthy eating, encouraging readers to cut refined sugars and pork products from their diets. Comedian and activist, Dick Gregory published Dick Gregory’s Natural Diet for Folks Who Eat and went on to create his diet plan, known as the Dick Gregory Bahamian Diet. Research shows that although these authors had a small impact on African American cuisine at the time, they created the foundation for a future catalyst that inspired new vegetarian chefs and restaurateurs. 

 Vegan soul food aficionado, Autumn Marie describes soul as food that is focused on flavors and textures. Speaking on the topic of whether vegan soul food is elitist Maria points out that vegans and non-vegans should more deeply explore the accessibility of vegan soul food. She notes, “We have to ask how people have made it elitist.”

 Vegan soul food restaurants are often located in cities with a higher concentration of African Americans compared to other American cities. Stuff I Eat (Inglewood), Soul Vegetarian (Atlanta), and Detroit Vegan Soul (Detroit), are favorite vegan soul food restaurants in cities with large African American populations. 

 New York is home to dozens of vegan soul food restaurants. Uptown Juice Bar is a Harlem favorite. When interviewed, customers noted how much they love the variety of options, the flavors in the food, and the casual atmosphere. Many of the downtown foodies love Red Bamboo for it’s appreciative nod to Caribbean cuisine. 

 It’s no surprise that California’s Bay Area has the most vegan restaurants out of any other city on the West Coast. With an African American population of 109.471 out of 390,827, the African American population in the Bay Area makes up approximately 33 % of the population. With both emerging and established vegan soul food restaurants, The Bay Area is home to chef’s Tanya Holland (Brown Sugar Kitchen), Bryant Terry (MoAd), and the Souley Vegan restaurant, owned by restaurateur, Tamerra Dyson.  

The demand for vegan soul food is also receiving buzz among bloggers and social media influencers. Social Media influencer, Fatimat Adelabi, who manages the Instagram Channel @jegbese notes some of New York’s most famous vegan soul food fusion restaurants, Seasoned Vegan (Harlem), Red Bamboo (West Village), Veggie Delight (Bronx, NY). 

While the culinary form was created out of a need for creative innovation, as the black American community expands and diversifies, conversations may erupt as to the validity of vegan soul food. A recent article written by Zachary Toliver on PETA.org,  jokingly explores 11 Things You Can Expect to Happen if You’re Vegan While Black.  

The Heart Of Soul Food

While Soul Food can understandably spark political, social, and culinary debates, there is one thing that most people agree on when it comes to soul food. Soul Food is about cooking and eating with bold flavors and lots of love. 

Gladys Elaine, an African American, grandmother, mother two, and family matriarch in North Carolina, responded to the question of the growth of soul food restaurants by describing her holiday table. 

“Soul food used to be healthier. We cooked things that we grew. There weren’t all the chemicals that you have in food today. It was natural and organic but, we didn’t call it organic. It was good food that we cooked. It’s all made from taste. We pass recipes down through generations without measuring anything. You have to know how it tastes." 

This holiday season, some families will display their unique holiday decor. They will make their shopping lists, and fill their stockings with sweet gifts and gadgets that they know their loved ones will appreciate and adore.  Some families will spend time the holiday volunteering while others may exchange gifts. Some may spend the day in front of the television watching football. Every American family has different traditions unique to their own family. Still, there is one tradition that binds all holidays of all families around the world is the soul of the holiday meal.