The name “soul food” gained popularity in the 1960s when the word "soul" became associated with all things African-American. But its origins go way back to the Antebellum period, when slaves in the South would create meals out of discarded meat parts (pig’s feet, ham hocks, tripe) and the tossed-away leafy tops of vegetables such as beets and turnips, and otherwise would rely on whatever they could catch, fish, or farm for their meals.
African influences can be found in a great deal of Southern cooking, too, from the jambalayas and gumbos of Louisiana’s bayous to the bene (sesame seed) crackers and candies of Charleston. Gumbo or “gombo” is the word for okra in several West African languages. Ingredients associated with Southern cooking all have roots in Africa: sesame, cumin, peanuts, okra, rice, yams.
It was generally illegal for slaves to learn to read or write, so recipes and cooking techniques were simply learned by watching and the telling. The first known soul-food cookbook, “What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking,” by Abby Fisher, was published in 1881. Some later and better-known cookbooks are Vertamae Grosvenor’s “Vibration Cooking, or the Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl” and Edna Lewis’s “The Taste of Country Cooking,” published in 1976. Vertamae Grosvenor’s book focuses on “low country” or Gullah cooking and encourages the reader to cook by “vibration” — using your instincts, making do with what you have, not necessarily following a precise recipe. Her use of healthy, simple local ingredients like shrimp, oysters, crabs, and sweet potatoes helped it become a bestseller.
Most of what we know today as soul food originated under very impoverished conditions in rural areas. The use of pork fat was common, as was frying food. While some ingredients of this type of cooking are unhealthy, others — collard greens, sweet potatoes, blackeyed peas, rice, and okra — are filled with vitamins and anti-oxidants and are high in fiber.
Having grown up in Virginia, I feel a great appreciation for Southern cooking and soul food. I don’t make a habit of eating fried chicken all the time, but it is one of my all-time favorite foods. The following recipe is one I learned from watching my friend Lisa from Kentucky. Macaroni and cheese is a more modern inclusion in the soul-food pantheon, but everybody loves it! Sweet potato pie is divine, and very few Northerners have ever tried it.
When my son was growing up, he was mesmerized by our copy of Edna Lewis’s “Taste of Country Cooking.” It has no pictures, no cartoons, no flashy graphics, so his interest was curious. He would pore over the Christmas Eve Menu, the “returning from chores on the farm” breakfast, the Summer Sunday Supper. I think I understand his fascination now. Ms. Lewis’s stories were warm and loving, in spite of the obvious hardships of her life in Freetown, Va. And I totally appreciate my son’s desire to duplicate her menus in our home. Even with very little to work with, these menus are long, comforting, and complete.
As for me, I’m thinking of handsome Sidney Poitier and asking my friends over for “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” It’s a pain in the neck to make fried chicken for a crowd. I only make it for about six to eight people. It is helpful to have a large, well-seasoned cast- iron skillet. If you are frying chicken in batches, make sure your oil remains hot between batches. Since we now know that lard, Crisco, and other vegetable shortenings are from the devil, I suggest you fry in peanut or safflower oil, which can safely be heated to very high temperatures.
Lisa’s Fried Chicken
Serves six
2 chickens, cut into serving pieces
2 cups buttermilk
1 Tbsp. each salt and sugar
Combine chicken pieces with buttermilk, salt, and sugar and chill overnight. Before frying, roll in the following mixture:
2 cups self-rising flour
combination of just about any herbs and spices you have in your cabinet, such as:
1/2 tsp. cayenne,
1/2 tsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. tarragon,
1 tsp. sage,
1 tsp. thyme,
1 tsp. rosemary,
1 tsp. salt
, 1 tsp. pepper
, 1 tsp. brown sugar
Drain chicken and roll in flour-herb mixture. Let sit out on platter to absorb and dry a bit, about a half hour. Meanwhile, pour enough oil into a large skillet to reach about a half-inch depth. Heat over medium high until a pinch of flour tossed in sizzles. Add chicken pieces carefully, and keep them spaced apart, not touching. Start skin side down and cook five minutes. Turn and cook five more minutes; turn skin side down again and cook another five minutes. Turn skin side up, cover, and cook five minutes. Remove lid, turn, and cook five minutes more. Chicken should be a lovely golden brown. Check for doneness by piercing with a sharp knife; juices should run clear and meat should be opaque. Serve hot, warm, or cold.
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
This recipe is from a 10-year-old issue of “Cook’s Illustrated” magazine. I have never found a better or easier one. It can be reheated and baked, just add some milk before baking. Serves four as main dish, six to eight as side dish, or two people if they are really piggies.
2 large eggs
1 can evaporated milk
1/4 tsp. hot sauce
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dry mustard, dissolved in 1 tsp. water
1/2 lb. elbow macaroni
4 Tbsp. butter
12 oz. sharp cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (or combo of both)
Mix eggs, one cup of evaporated milk, pepper sauce, half teaspoon salt, pepper, and mustard mixture. Set aside. Cook macaroni in two quarts water with remaining salt in heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook until al dente, drain, and return to pan over low heat. Add butter, toss to melt. Pour egg mixture over buttered noodles along with three-quarters of the cheese; stir until combined and cheese starts to melt. Gradually add remaining milk and cheese, stirring constantly until hot and creamy, about five minutes. Serve immediately. Excellent with toasted, buttered bread crumbs if you want to be really naughty!
“Greasy” Beans
Serves six
2 lbs. fresh green beans, ends removed
1 ham hock
1 Tbsp. vinegar
Red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
Cook beans in water with ham hock until fairly well done, about 20 minutes. Drain beans. Remove ham hock and pick off a few bits of ham and add to beans, if desired. Season with salt and pepper, add a few red-pepper flakes and one tablespoon vinegar. For a vegetarian version, just add a few drops of liquid smoke at the end of cooking.
Sweet Potato Pie
Makes one 9 or 10-inch pie
1 pie crust for 9 or 10-inch pan
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 3/4 cups mashed, baked sweet potato or yams. (If using canned — shame on you! — use about 1/2 of a 40 oz. can)
1 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ginger
Pinch cloves
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Beat all ingredients together and pour into pie.
