Description

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 Moving beyond catfish and collard greens to the soul of African American cooking

Ranging over the progression from seventeenth-century West African fare to contemporary fusion dishes using "soul food" ingredients, this book provides an introduction to many aspects of African American foodways. Examining the combination of African, Caribbean, and South American traditions, the volume's contributors offer insights from history, literary studies, sociology, anthropology, and African American studies to demonstrate how food's material and symbolic values have contributed to African Americans' identity for centuries. Individual chapters examine how African foodways survived the passage into slavery, cultural meanings associated with African American foodways, and the contents of African American cookbooks, both early and recent.

A volume in The Food Series, edited by Andrew W. Smith

Praise For…

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“A quick and enjoyable read that is informative about the relationships between food, culture, and defining moments in world, southern, and African American history.”--The Journal of Southern History

"This fascinating book reveals a little-known history and ties it to present-day values.  It is well written and accessible to a general audience, for whom it is highly recommended."--Multicultural Review

Anne L. Bower has compiled a very tasty collection of essays into which the historian or food lover can really sink his teeth. . . . The essays provide an expansive and interdisciplinary view of African American culinary history as well as insight into the current trends in what is more generally known as 'soul food.'"--Southern Historian