The soul foods originated from the cuisine of enslaved African Americans has a rich history.
The soul food originated from the cuisine of enslaved African Americans has a rich history. It has some West African and Native American roots but is heavily influenced by the local farming of the American South.
While slaves often eat undesirable meat and grains, they developed culinary tricks to make the most of these minimal resources, which we today call “soul food.”
Let’s take a look at some classic comfort foods from this tradition.
The Peach Gobbler
Cobblers are only made in the late spring and summer months, when the peanuts, the crown jewel of southern agriculture, ripen. But before ancient Greece, peach was used in sweets, and people believed that sweet stone fruit had an aphrodisiac.
The classic American Cobblers got its name because it resembled the crusty crust and the crusty textures traditionally made from leftover biscuits.
While you can’t beat New Georgia Beaches, thanks to canned fruit, this soul food can be made at any time of the year.
Fried chicken
Grilled chicken is part of the beloved comfort food around the world, making it a speciality in the American South, as crisp, savoury bread is a great way to mask the flavour of subprime meat.
American fried chicken combined frying tactics brought to the Western Hemisphere by Scottish immigrants and enslaved West Africans, who complete the flavouring process to give their chicken that perfect taste.
Wilted Green
The origin of the greens is pure West African. The enslaved Africans in North America could not find the tropical bitter greens they once ate, so they prepared their meals with local bitter greens such as collard, kale and mustard greens.
The vegetables are soft and cooked with fresh onions, garlic and smoked ham.
Cornbread
A soul food tray is incomplete without a piece of cornstarch, the glue that holds the green foods together.
You can guess that this treat is rooted in Native American cooking, which is heavily dependent on North America’s leading grain corn.
These days, there is a heated debate over the difference between soul food cornstarch and “corncake”, which is a sugar-fed bread. Either way, cornstarch is an undeniable staple of soul food.
Chitlins
Not all soul food comes into the mainstream, and that’s certainly true for chitlins. Also known as chitterlings, this soul food is made from pork intestines and can be boiled or deep-fried.
Do not forget to thoroughly clean them to avoid any unpleasant taste, and of course, you enjoy the smell.
Source: Lifestyleug.com
