February is Black History Month,and African Americans have contributed a multitude of inventions, years of service and ideas to the American landscape. They have also contributed a wide variety of food and techniques to our culinary landscape as well. It is am impressive list, with a lasting impact.
Ask most Euro- Americans what African Americans have given to us food wise and they'll all say "Soul Food." That's correct however that's only one facet . They were responsible for much of our agriculture.One of the most important staples the enslaved have given us is rice cultivation. The first seeds came to the North American from Madagascar in 1685. By the 1750's it was one of the biggest staple of the Southern colonies. Senegalese "workers" taught colonists how to plant and cultivate the crop. They also brought cattle raising as well thanks to the Fulani or Fula people from Semegambia . They were expert cattlemen , and showed white masters the African husbandry patterns of open grazing and artificial insemination.. Our modern term cowboy comes form them. Those that worked with the steer were called such. The Fulani people also introduced the idea of drinking milk for sustenance, a food concept so deeply ingrained in our culture , that's it;'s a given that we give kids milk.Food contributions are legendary, from okra to black eyed peas to yams. These have all added to our diets as well as expanding our palates' worlds.Peanuts were their most famous gift, It did start off in Brazil but Portuguese sailors brought it to Africa where it was embraced by locals.
African American cooks and chefs have also contributed a multitude of delicious dishes to the American cookbook. Cornbread is one of their biggest contributions., first having been made as a mush from corn meal. This pone was also similar to a dish called Eba where we get the modern day grits. Fufu is the grandfather of our modern day hoecakes and pancakes, first having been made with palm oil and flour. The ultimate Southern dish, fried chicken comes from plantation kitchens, with the enslaved bringing the traditional deep fried cooking technique to the colonies. Deep frying is actually a preservation technique, similar to heavy salting to preserve not only fowl but also beef.Soul food , of course is another big contribution but it has sad origins. It came from the refuse that plantation owners let their enslaved workers have for sustenance. They were also given a small plot of land to grow vegetables. too. Dinners were usually hamhocks with turnip greens or collards, staples that are eaten today by all Americans.It was washed down with coffee, another African import , from Ethopia's Kaffa region hence the name. Watermelon also came over with the enslaved as did Kola nuts which gives the base for the greatest American invention of all time Coca-Cola.
Without all these contributions American cuisine would not be as tasty or as varied. The African Americans gave us a good portion of our culinary history. They should be lauded for this along with their sacrifices for America.
Showing posts with label ham hocks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ham hocks. Show all posts
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Celebrating with Hopping John
Note: This is a milestone for Foodie Pantry.It's our 2,500 blog entry. I can't believe it . It has really changed my life and I have an old friend, Pete Burley and his business partner, Mitch Rappel to thank for this. I was coming up with different ways to promote their new sports drink, Fyxx Caffeinated water and they had suggested a blog. Look back and you will see the first article is about Fyxx. I though that would be it- just one blog entry - but I got hooked - and hooked and hooked. So onto the 2500th -----
New Year's is a time of tradition and celebration. Food and its' symbolism figures into it big time. One of the most traditional is hopping John.It is a dish from the Deep South , made with the ingredients of the region.It promises both luck and deliciousness with just one bean.
Kim Severson wrote about this holiday must have in today's New York Times Food section.It is made from the simple cow pea or as we all know it the black eyed pea.It was the great botanist, George Washington Carver who studied them and improved them to create a stronger , hardier legume.Unfortunately what is sold in the stores is not that.It's a similar looking buff bean grown in California , and as Ms, Severson puts it "is to the cowpea as iceberg is to lettuce".Get the real kind for your New Year's celebrations, the ones with a history as old as this country's The black eyed pea which is really a bean, originated in west Africa, brought over by enslaved Africans. Luckily the plants are hardy and can take to any soil that they're planted in. They sustained both livestock and people who were too poor to afford other foods.Another plus is that they were kind of like manure in the sense that they put nitrogen into fields, enabling other crops to grow.They also can exist without a lot of water, making ideal in the sometimes drought riddled South. Seeds have been passed down through generations of families, with that comes colorful names like turkey craw, red ripper,washday old timer and whipperwill.
All these varieties surprisingly have different flavors. Crowder peas, so named because they crowd in the pod, are big and meaty so they mix well with rice. if you want a creamy mash then go with the bright and delicate cream variety.One rare one with a history, is the Sea Island red pea, first cultivated in the 1600's . It was first cooked into a ruddy gravy in the Carolina rice fields,It is also now being revived as well to go into modern skillets and pots..These peas have different flavors. The pink eye purple hull ones taste like artichokes, and these will probably be the next foodie craze in the New York area. The beans are already hitting our northern markets. What can be made with black eyed peas?||?Ms. Severson give the recipe of purple hull peas with mustard greens in smoky potlikker. This last is a variation of the phrase pot liquor, the liquid leftover from cooking and is used kind of like a cross between a saute and a gravy.Smoked turkey legs and wings or smoked ham hocks add more flavor along with mustard greens. This is also highly spiced dish, with the addition of chopped garlic and a red hot chili pepper. Bay leaves , allspice and thyme give it an earthy herbal tang while a tablespoons of sugar tempers the whole recipe.. Ms. Severson serves it with a homemade cornbread, truly Southern with the addition of buttermilk and bacon grease. My recipe is a little simpler. Cook them in salted water and add butter and more salt. The beans' starch mixed with the first creating a creamy sauce, perfect with slices of fresh , hot ham or fried chicken,
Have a plate of hopping John to bring you good luck in the New Year. You can try the spicy version or my delicate one. Either way, eat them to enable a money filled 2016
New Year's is a time of tradition and celebration. Food and its' symbolism figures into it big time. One of the most traditional is hopping John.It is a dish from the Deep South , made with the ingredients of the region.It promises both luck and deliciousness with just one bean.
Kim Severson wrote about this holiday must have in today's New York Times Food section.It is made from the simple cow pea or as we all know it the black eyed pea.It was the great botanist, George Washington Carver who studied them and improved them to create a stronger , hardier legume.Unfortunately what is sold in the stores is not that.It's a similar looking buff bean grown in California , and as Ms, Severson puts it "is to the cowpea as iceberg is to lettuce".Get the real kind for your New Year's celebrations, the ones with a history as old as this country's The black eyed pea which is really a bean, originated in west Africa, brought over by enslaved Africans. Luckily the plants are hardy and can take to any soil that they're planted in. They sustained both livestock and people who were too poor to afford other foods.Another plus is that they were kind of like manure in the sense that they put nitrogen into fields, enabling other crops to grow.They also can exist without a lot of water, making ideal in the sometimes drought riddled South. Seeds have been passed down through generations of families, with that comes colorful names like turkey craw, red ripper,washday old timer and whipperwill.
All these varieties surprisingly have different flavors. Crowder peas, so named because they crowd in the pod, are big and meaty so they mix well with rice. if you want a creamy mash then go with the bright and delicate cream variety.One rare one with a history, is the Sea Island red pea, first cultivated in the 1600's . It was first cooked into a ruddy gravy in the Carolina rice fields,It is also now being revived as well to go into modern skillets and pots..These peas have different flavors. The pink eye purple hull ones taste like artichokes, and these will probably be the next foodie craze in the New York area. The beans are already hitting our northern markets. What can be made with black eyed peas?||?Ms. Severson give the recipe of purple hull peas with mustard greens in smoky potlikker. This last is a variation of the phrase pot liquor, the liquid leftover from cooking and is used kind of like a cross between a saute and a gravy.Smoked turkey legs and wings or smoked ham hocks add more flavor along with mustard greens. This is also highly spiced dish, with the addition of chopped garlic and a red hot chili pepper. Bay leaves , allspice and thyme give it an earthy herbal tang while a tablespoons of sugar tempers the whole recipe.. Ms. Severson serves it with a homemade cornbread, truly Southern with the addition of buttermilk and bacon grease. My recipe is a little simpler. Cook them in salted water and add butter and more salt. The beans' starch mixed with the first creating a creamy sauce, perfect with slices of fresh , hot ham or fried chicken,
Have a plate of hopping John to bring you good luck in the New Year. You can try the spicy version or my delicate one. Either way, eat them to enable a money filled 2016
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