African American Holiday Traditions

[Psi U MC Vito]

Only way I have had Sweet Potatoes is sweet potatoes fries which I love.

[knight_shadow]

Sweet Potato Pie > Every member of GC

And SP Fries are good too

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

Sweet Potato Pie > Every member of GC

Just. Can't. Eat. It.

[christiangirl]

Is it chicken or is it.....never mind, too easy.

[Honeykiss1974]

Growing up, we ate roasted sweet potatoes for dessert. My mom would just take whole, wash sweet potatoes, roast them in the oven and done! We ate them with no butter/sugar and they were still good and sweet (I still can't eat them with butter and stuff). I think now a days you have to doctor them up just because of how our food supply is prepared. I've noticed that most veggies from grocery stores have no taste anymore so you've got to add some flavor. lol

[libramunoz]

Well, usually during the holiday time, we go over to another relative's house or have someone come to the house. With that being said, one of the main traditions for the holidays has always been my grandmother's sweet potato pie recipie. For about 10 years, I made them and wouldn't come within 10 feet of them after about 5 years of making them. Don't get me wrong, I can make the hell out of it, but I just got so tired of making it and HAVING to eat the damn things!
This year, I made three and actually ate some of it. It's a recipie that I have NO idea of how she came up with it! I dunno if she discovered making it when she was in PV or if she found it, but for over 50 years (she's been gone since 1988), it's been in the family as a guard your life recipie and if you give it out, you must die recipie.

Anywho, on Thanksgiving, we usually do turkey, collard greens with bacon, green beans and potatoes, my Momma's dressing (which will have you smack the crap outta the next person to your left), candied yams, sweet potato pie, apple/pumpkin pie, cake, biscuts, cranberry sauce (homemade or canned), sweet tea, soda, juice (this year, homemade lemonade), gravy with the gizzards, mashed potatoes, corn, and this year butternut squash (something different).

At Christmas, add deviled eggs, ham or Cornish hens (have a cousin that's of the Jewish faith), rice, LaChoy crunchies (lo mein crunchies (in the can), coated with Chocolate (white or brown-doesn't matter)).

And the coolest thing is that everyone in my family knows that for my mother, you have to find the craziest flavor of ice cream and some damned egg nog (can't stand the stuff, looks like yellow snot to me). The ice cream thing is just her, she loves flavors--started when myself and libramunoz's big brother were kids and Momma got a gal of pumpkin flavored ice cream from Ralph's. Suffice to say, bighead and littleone each got a bowl and took one gulp and BOTH bowls went back into the freezer for Momma to finish.

Therefore, this is one tradition that everyone in the family seems to have leapt onto. This years flavor, pumpkin spice flavored--last years--egg nog and peppermint!

[DrPhil]

I just saw this on CNN. They were talking about African American cuisine and soul food restaurants that have gone healthy.

http://www.oldwayspt.org/AHH-committee

http://www.oldwayspt.org/african-heritage-diet