African American Holiday Traditions

[DrPhil]

What our ancestors used to eat. Today's Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners are just a taste of how African Americans used to eat.

Originally Posted by The Root

Before you slice into that sweet potato pie, douse those greens in hot sauce or cut a corner of macaroni and cheese this holiday season, consider what you may be missing.

African-American food historian Leni Sorensen says that the iconic images of soul food during Thanksgiving and Christmas represent a small slice of black American culinary customs. "There's a wide repertoire of food. Everybody understands the iconic list of greens and pork chops and corn bread and sweet potato pie. But that is only a minor list of all of the different foods that people eat within their own communities," says Sorensen, a researcher at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.

http://www.theroot.com/views/what-ou...s-ate-holidays

Which, if any, culinary traditions are you upholding?

[christiangirl]

Besides the ham, none. But that strawberry wine sounded tasty as well as the painted Christmas cookies made with rose water. Maybe I'll try those for Christmas!

[amIblue?]

Sorry for lane swerving, but I thought this gawker posting is relevant:

http://gawker.com/5862384/pat-robert...-food?autoplay

I would like to state for the record that my white family eats mac & cheese for Thanksgiving. Every year my whole life. I think mac & cheese transcends race.

Then again, I have found over the years that the food traditions that I grew up with have more in common with my African American friends' familial food traditions than many of my white friends' familial food traditions.

Also, Pat Robertson is dumb.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by amIblue?

Sorry for lane swerving, but I thought this gawker posting is relevant:

http://gawker.com/5862384/pat-robert...-food?autoplay

I would like to state for the record that my white family eats mac & cheese for Thanksgiving. Every year my whole life. I think mac & cheese transcends race.

Then again, I have found over the years that the food traditions that I grew up with have more in common with my African American friends' familial food traditions than many of my white friends' familial food traditions.

Also, Pat Robertson is dumb.

No lane swerve.

I love me some Pat Robertson (he says some dumb things but still) but LOL @ mac n cheese being "a Black thing." Since when is that a Black thing? My favorite mac n cheese since childhood is a 3-cheese layered and baked mac n cheese done by this white owned restaurant in my home city.

Mac n cheese is a year round meal. Home baked mac n cheese with extra cheese OR Kraft Deluxe. Cream cheese, sour cream, or multiple cheeses...whatever's clever.

[AGDLynn]

I was going to post this!

Amazing!

From Wikipedia....

He graduated with honors and enrolled at Washington and Lee University, where he majored in history. The claim that he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa is not substantiated by the Phi Beta Kappa membership directory.[5] He also joined Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Robertson has said, "Although I worked hard at my studies, my real major centered around lovely young ladies who attended the nearby girls schools."[6]

I think W&L wants the diploma back.

[DrPhil]

Sooo...how about those African American holiday traditions....

[Honeykiss1974]

People confuse 'black/soul" food and southern food all the time. Bless his heart.

Anyway, my mom prepares chitterlings every Thanksgiving. I've already told her that tradition will probably pass on when she does since there is NO WAY I'm standing in front of my kitchen sink cleaning those things. lol We still have those along with turkey and dressing (NOT stuffing), butter beans & okra, cornbread with sweet potatoe and pecan pie (with sweet tea to wash it down).

[Psi U MC Vito]

Originally Posted by Honeykiss1974

People confuse 'black/soul" food and southern food all the time. Bless his heart.

I will admit my ignorance here, but are there meals associated with Southern African Americans (no idea if that is the right way to phrase that) that is not associated with the South as a whole?

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by Psi U MC Vito

I will admit my ignorance here, but are there meals associated with Southern African Americans (no idea if that is the right way to phrase that) that is not associated with the South as a whole?

For some things, yes, and that dates back to a combination of things:

1. African culture
2. Slavery (i.e., slaves being given the leftover or less valued parts of foods)
3. The types of foods that Blacks in the south (which has the highest population of Blacks/African Americans in the country) were able to afford because Blacks/African Americans are disproportionately poor.

That high correlation between race, cultural practices, and poverty passed down certain traditions across generations of Blacks, including Blacks who were not enslaved and who were not/are not impoverished.

I have a Healthy Soul Food cookbook that I have never used. LOL. Where is that thing?

[amIblue?]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

For some things, yes, and that dates back to a combination of things:

1. African culture
2. Slavery (i.e., slaves being given the leftover or less valued parts of foods)
3. The types of foods that Blacks in the south (which has the highest population of Blacks/African Americans in the country) were able to afford because Blacks/African Americans are disproportionately poor.

That high correlation between race, cultural practices, and poverty passed down certain traditions across generations of Blacks, including Blacks who were not enslaved and who were not/are not impoverished.

I have a Healthy Soul Food cookbook that I have never used. LOL. Where is that thing?

Earlier in the thread I mentioned that my family's food traditions are often closer to my African American friends' families' traditions than my white friends' families. I believe the bold is the reason; my ancestors were primarily poor, subsistence farmers. For example, my grandmother always ate the neck of whatever poultry we had. Even when my grandparents were able to afford pretty much whatever they wanted (within reason), she kept eating what she ate growing up.

I do believe that the similarities in what all Southerners eat is due to Black women doing the cooking for the higher classes, first through slavery and then via employment as domestic help. (i.e., I've never met a southerner who didn't like fried chicken, which I believe has its roots in African food ways.)

Healthy soul food cookbook? Really?

[als463]

You know, between this thread and the thread started by PM Mama about the new show "All American Muslim" I would love to see a forum set up in chit chat about cultural awareness or something. Because I see myself as far from an expert, I would clearly not start it. I just think it's great to learn about various cultures.

[Munchkin03]

This was my first Thanksgiving with my parents since 2005. In the interim years, I've been with friends, other family members, and significant others.

My aunt prepared dinner, and the "traditional Southern/Black" foods were in full force. Collard greens, candied yams, ham, and some pork parts were at the table. It, among other things I observed, reminded me of the massive cultural difference between the sides of my family. When it's at my parents' house, there might be a small ham and no collard greens or candied yams--definitely no pig parts.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by amIblue?

Earlier in the thread I mentioned that my family's food traditions are often closer to my African American friends' families' traditions than my white friends' families. I believe the bold is the reason; my ancestors were primarily poor, subsistence farmers. For example, my grandmother always ate the neck of whatever poultry we had. Even when my grandparents were able to afford pretty much whatever they wanted (within reason), she kept eating what she ate growing up.

I do believe that the similarities in what all Southerners eat is due to Black women doing the cooking for the higher classes, first through slavery and then via employment as domestic help. (i.e., I've never met a southerner who didn't like fried chicken, which I believe has its roots in African food ways.)

I think you hit the nail on the head. I also read a lot about the connection between southern culinary traditions, Black culinary traditions, and Native American culinary traditions.

Originally Posted by amIblue?

Healthy soul food cookbook? Really?

Google "healthy soul food cookbook."

Originally Posted by als463

...I would love to see a forum set up in chit chat about cultural awareness or something.

The hundreds of GC threads created over the years are more than sufficient for GC purposes. Most of those threads were not created for the purpose of awareness and that's a good thing. I hate anything that resembles diversity training whether in real life or the Internet.

[KDCat]

Originally Posted by amIblue?

(i.e., I've never met a southerner who didn't like fried chicken, which I believe has its roots in African food ways.)

Healthy soul food cookbook? Really?

FFried chicken, like a lot of things in American culture, has its roots in both European and American culture. Fried chicken is Scottish. Scots were known for frying chicken; English people boiled or baked it. It was bland, though The Scots didn't put any spices in it. African Americans added spices and seasonings to it and made it taste a lot better.

[TonyB06]

Originally Posted by Honeykiss1974

People confuse 'black/soul" food and southern food all the time. Bless his heart.

Anyway, my mom prepares chitterlings every Thanksgiving. I've already told her that tradition will probably pass on when she does since there is NO WAY I'm standing in front of my kitchen sink cleaning those things. lol We still have those along with turkey and dressing (NOT stuffing), butter beans & okra, cornbread with sweet potatoe and pecan pie (with sweet tea to wash it down).

HK,
Please kiss you chitterling-making mama for me, because, like my Aunty Ricky who always makes them for me and my cousin (her son) during the holidays, those who make this delicacy are really special people.

My family has many of the other traditional items, including fried chicken and ham for those that don't do turkey, but "chess pie" an old southern delicacy is usually the hit of the dessert tray, along with sweet potato, apple pie and assorted cakes.