The differences between the two cuisines are subtle, but very important. Both use the same ingredients in their cooking, and recipes for common dishes are very similar. It's been said that all soul food is Southern food, but not all Southern food is soul food (Bob Jeffries, 1969). So what makes Soul Food different than Southern Food? That association with family and community are what give soul food such a beloved place in the memory of black people all over America, and what cause it to continue to have an important place in kitchens and restaurants in present times. What we now call Soul Food is the food that was served for special meals in the south - Sunday dinners and celebratory gatherings. This was a mass exodus of over 6 million blacks from the rural south to seek better opportunities in the urban centers of the North, Midwest, and West from about 1916 to 1970. Soul food is celebration food it's the food most fondly remembered by blacks who left the South in the the Great Migration. It's Celebration FoodĮven though soul food's roots are in the Deep South and it is still a large part of the culinary scene there, its popularity has transcended those borders to be enjoyed across America. Enslaved African people were given minimal, poor quality rations and the undesirable off-cuts of meat (mostly pork) for their own use and out of necessity and creativity turned them into tasty and nourishing dishes to sustain their hard-working families. They cooked with one set of ingredients in the plantation kitchens, and another more limited set of ingredients in their own homes. Slaves cooked in the kitchens of their masters and learned techniques they incorporated into their own cooking. African slaves brought with them knowledge of new ingredients not grown in the States before, such as rice and okra, and introduced the rich and spicy stews native to their home countries. This food originated in the area of the United States known as the 'Deep South', a region comprising mainly the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. Arising during the dark period of transatlantic slave trade in American history, this was food prepared by African slaves and sharecroppers incorporating the recipes and culinary techniques of their native cuisines, but adapted to the meager ingredients and harsh conditions available to them in their forced new homeland. ![]() ![]() This month for our Eat the World recipe Challenge we visit not just a country, but a specific region and cuisine of a country - Soul Food, the traditional cooking style and rich flavours originating with black home cooks and chefs in the southern part of the United States. Serve them with mashed potatoes or rice and a mound of cooked greens - that's iconic Soul Food comfort food. ![]() Meltingly tender pork swimming in a richly seasoned onion gravy Smothered Pork Chops. SHARES Facebook 466 Pinterest Messenger SMS Share
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