Soul food is an umbrella term often used for the cuisine that has evolved over the years among the diaspora of African natives who were initially brought to USA as slaves. The traffic of black slaves to America was a gradual process that took place over a period of nearly 240 years, and the new arrivals carried with them recipes from back home.

The cuisine underwent a phase of evolution  in the new world, as the slaves experimented with traditional recipes using locally available condiments and also as cooking styles from different parts of Africa came in contact here in America and amalgamated to give rise to a new, minimalist style of cooking that had to make do with cheap (often wild) produce items and wild fowl.

Era 300 – 1619 – Soul Food-History

Between 300 -1619, the 1st group of Africans landed in America in Jamestown, Virginia. African American slaves were farmers, cattle raisers, and fishermen and presented several plants and seeds to plant such as black-eyed peas, okra, sweet sorghum, and watermelons as part of American’s crops and foods.

Soul food

Slaves Made Their Foods – Soul Food-History

The slaves made their own meals from the leftovers that their masters did not eat. They frequently exchanged recipes orally with each other which led to the growth of African American cuisine. This was how many of their foods were collected for their meals.Although their love for cooking involved pork, sweet potatoes, collard greens, and spoon bread, breakfast was considered the most important meal of the day. A typical breakfast consisted of hoecakes and molasses.

Young Women Learned to Make Meals- Soul Food-History

They always interested in cooking. During that time in past history, little girls learned to prepare traditional foods such as fufu, which is made with fresh vegetables and pounded yams. Fufu was generally served with soup, stew, or roasted meat. The native foods were yams, vegetables, rice, and groundnuts. Africans were also extremely experienced in frying, roasting, cooking, boiling, and steaming their foodstuff. They also had special abilities preparing wild game, and planting small gardens including wild greens and fruit. Women generally worked 16 to 18 hours in the fields then prepared one-pot foods for their family.

Cooking Procedures and Techniques – Soul Food-History

Cooking was generally done on open pits or fireplaces with big swing black pots and large iron cast skillets and were well prepared by black cooks. Cooking on open pits are now applied as grills.The slaves did not use calculating cups or cooking products. They had no recipe books or formal coaching in cooking. They had no one to learn from except each other.It was a great challenge for them to make good food with basic tools and very minimal ingredients. Salt was also used as a preservative since there were no fridge or other techniques to preserve meals cool.

When examining their food for doneness, they applied their own senses, and when they sensed the need, they included a pinch of seasoning to enhance the taste of their dish. They knew by their instinct when their food was done as many chefs know today. That’s also why you see many recipes that read “a pinch of salt and pepper” or “bake until finally golden brown.”Cajun and Creole were also a familiar style of food preparation and involved such well-known dishes as jambalaya, bread pudding, desserts, dirty rice, gumbo, and red beans and rice.During that time in history, black cooks vocally exchanged recipes as they kept in mind them and today many Southerners still cook without having a recipe, just by basically remembering key ingredients and including seasonings and spices to their taste cattle During these hard and hard times, they used their own cooking food habits and methods and created many new ones along the way.

Afro American Cuisine- Now Soul Food/Soul Food-History

In the 1960‘s, Southern-style food preparation by Black Americans was relabeled “Soul Food” in honor of black chefs who well prepared food during the slavery era. It was also a indication that these cooks introduced the way in the growth of African American dishes – now soul food.Today, people from all walks of life, young old, enjoy soul food cuisine. Soul food is also well prepared in many houses in America for family events and special parties. The basis for soul food was laid many years ago, and today, the custom lives on.For more interesting history creating events,

African-American culture, also famous as black culture, in the United States applies to the cultural contributions of African Americans to the culture of the United States, either as part of or distinct from American culture.Afro american culture is based in Africa. It is a blend of generally sub-Saharan African and Sahelean cultures. Their traditions are different from the other country.

Afro- american culture

Although slavery greatly limited the ability of Americans of African nice to practice their cultural traditions, many practices, values, and beliefs survived and over time have improved or combined with white culture. Afro american culture developed individually from mainstream American culture, both because of slavery and the persistence of racial discrimination in America, as well as African-American slave descendants’ want to create and maintain their own traditions. Blacks were freed from slavery and began to enjoy greater rights as citizens (though full recognition of their rights remained a long way off). Despite these dramatic developments, many economic and demographic characteristics of African Americans at the end of the nineteenth century were not that different from what they had been in the mid-1800s. The lives and rich traditions of descendants of West African slaves who live in southern coastal regions of the eastern United States are being showcased at a museum in Washington, DC. the only group of African Americans in the country who know where we are from and who have maintained our culture, history, our cooking traditions and many of our spiritual gifts that we wish to share with the rest of the world.Afro american culture is very differernt from the other culture.

The platinum-selling music superstar is lending her name and using her influence for something other than promoting a product. The ‘Pon De Replay’ singer is urging her fans to help save the life of Shannon Tavarez, an 11-year-old star of Broadway’s hit musical ‘The Lion King’ who was recently diagnosed with acute leukemia.

“Being a performer myself I know what it’s like to be given the opportunity of a lifetime at a young age, and I would have been destroyed if that was taken away from me,” the Def Jam Records chart topper and CoverGirl spokeswoman said. “Shannon deserves to live and share her beautiful voice with the world.”

Rihanna, who Tavarez considers her idol, got wind of her plight and felt she had to do something to help – urging her fans to register with DKMS atWWW.GETSWABBED.ORG to save Shannon’s life and the lives of other leukemia patient’s life.

Tavarez, who performed four shows a week as young Nala in ‘Lion King,’ needs a bone marrow transplant. Her mother is African American, and her father is Dominican. According to a spokesperson, only 8 percent of the 7 million registered donors are African American, which means that only 17 percent of African Americans in need of a transplant will receive one.

“When I found out, it hit me really hard, like someone was throwing a ball at me,” said the talented tween, who currently lives at Schneider Children’s Hospital in Long Island, where she receives daily chemotherapy treatments. “It was shocking and I thought, why me?”