Soul Food

The history of American soul food can be traced back to the days of slavery. More often than not, the slaves were given the most undesirable part of the meal, the leftovers from the house. This link with their own grown vegetables, the first plates of food for the soul were invented. After the slaves were freed, most of them were so poor they could only afford the most undesirable cuts, low cost of meat available to them. (The remaining parts of a pig unwanted as tripe, tongue, ears, and knuckles). As in the days of slavery, African Americans use their own grown vegetables and things they could catch or kill to complete their meals.

In the modern United States, soul food has truly evolved. It has become part of African American culture, with family members together on all occasions from birthdays to funerals, to spend time together preparing meals. The history of soul food is mainly an oral; recipes were never written down so while two families may be preparing identical meals, chances are you do not know very much alike. Different ingredients, cooking methods and techniques to prepare meals go food for the soul, causing the final results come out different.

One of the most obvious and widely recognized characteristics of African-American soul food is the fact that hot sauce and more intense spices are incorporated into meals as often as possible. For this reason, soul food is not for those who can not take the heat or are prone to burning!

Another characteristic of true African-American soul food is that nothing is ever wasted. Have originated from the remains of whatever. Stale bread was quickly converted into stuffing or a bread pudding. Maduro on bananas were whipped into banana puddings and other ripe fruits were put into cakes and pies, and leftover fish parts were made into croquettes or hush puppies.

Sunday dinners are definitely the times when soul food is commonly seen in the tables. Sunday dinners are for African American families together to prepare and participate in a big meal. Sunday dinners normally take all day (normally following a church ceremony), and family members come from far away to participate in this meal together. Sunday dinners took place in the form of fellowship, also, where various family members contribute a dish or two and form a big meal, either. Collard and mustard greens, kale, ribs, corn bread, fried chicken, giblets, okra, and yams are excellent examples of African-American soul food that might be found in a Sunday lunch.

Food for the soul is not generally a healthy option for a person who must control their diet. Fried foods are generally prepared with hydrogenated oil or fat, and generally tend to be products of flavored and seasoned with pork. Since this may be what contributes to such a high percentage of African Americans who are significantly overweight, methods of preparing food for the soul are now slowly starting to be refined, bringing a lot more healthy options to the table. Instead of products increasingly unhealthy pork, using products based in Turkey is becoming increasingly popular as time passes. Fried foods that are so beloved of the culture can now be prepared using a lower fat vegetable oil or canola.