SOUL FOOD

The black community has made a significant contribution to American cuisine: everyday Southern food is also known as Soul food, by analogy with Soul, black music par excellence.

African American slaves used to cook for the wealthy, and often continued to do so after they were freed, so they kept or modified many dishes, as well as introducing their own. The recipe for one of the most widely served American dishes, Fried Chicken, rolled first in breadcrumbs and spices, was imported from West Africa by black people.

The cuisine of South-eastern USA features many humble dishes of black origin, such as pig’s trotters, tripe, boiled beans or roast pork cheek, although it is mostly a mix of different cooking traditions.

This is evident in the specialties served at New Year: pork shin served with Hoppin John, that is, rice and black-eyed beans, of African origin, together with roast onions and cornbread. Here in the US, beans and pork bring good luck.