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For other uses, see Soul food (disambiguation).

Soul food is an American cuisine, a selection of foods, and is the traditional cuisine of African Americans of the Southern United States and of black communities beyond. Cuisine (from French cuisine, "cooking culinary art kitchen" ultimately from Latin coquere, "to cook" is a specific set Food is any substance usually composed primarily of Carbohydrates Fats water and/or Proteins that can be eaten or drunk by an African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa The Southern United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South &mdashconstitutes a large distinctive In the mid-1960s, when the Civil Rights Movement was just beginning, "soul" was a common adjective used to describe African American culture, and thus the name "soul food" was derived. See also Protests of 1968 Historically the civil rights movement was a concentrated period of time around the world of approximately twenty years (1960-1980 in

Contents

Origins

A southern African-American family on a fishing and hunting outing in the late 1800s. Catfish and waterfowl are suspended from the side of the boat.
A southern African-American family on a fishing and hunting outing in the late 1800s. Catfish and waterfowl are suspended from the side of the boat.

The term soul food became popular in the 1960s, when the word soul became used in connection with most things African American. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 The soul, according to many religious and philosophical beliefs is the self-awareness, or Consciousness, unique to a particular living African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa The origins of soul food, however, are much older and can be traced back to Africa. Many culinary historians believe that in the beginning of the 14th century, around the time of early African exploration, European explorers brought their own food supplies and introduced them into the African diet. Foods such as turnips from Morocco and cabbage from Spain would play an important part in the history of African American cuisine. For similar vegetables also called "turnip" see Turnip (disambiguation. Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa The cabbage ( Brassica oleracea var capitata) is a leafy garden plant of the Family Brassicaceae (or Cruciferae used as a Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Cuisine (from French cuisine, "cooking culinary art kitchen" ultimately from Latin coquere, "to cook" is a specific set

When the European slave trade began in the early 1400s, the diet of newly enslaved Africans changed on the long journeys from their homeland. It was during this time that some of the indigenous crops of Africa began showing up in the slaves' new home in the Americas. Tall tales of seeds from watermelons, okra and sesame being transported in the slave's ears, hair or clothing are perhaps based on fact. Watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus ( Thunb) Matsum & Nakai family Cucurbitaceae) refers to both Fruit and Plant of a vine-like (climber Okra ( American English:, British English,) also known as lady's finger, bhindi ( Hindustani) and gumbo, is a Sesame ( Sesamum indicum) is a Flowering plant in the genus Sesamum.

As slaves, African Americans would "make do" with the ingredients at hand. The fresh vegetables found in Africa were replaced by the throwaway foods from the plantation house. The term " vegetable " generally means the edible parts of Plants The definition of the word is traditional rather than Scientific, however Fundamentally a plantation is usually a large Farm or estate, especially in a tropical or semitropical country on which Cotton, Tobacco Their vegetables were the tops of turnips and beets and dandelions. For similar vegetables also called "turnip" see Turnip (disambiguation. The beet or beetroot is a Flowering plant species ( Beta vulgaris) in the family Chenopodiaceae. Soon they were cooking with new types of greens: collards, kale, cress, mustard, and pokeweed. Collards, also called borekale (from the Dutch boerenkool (farmers' kale are various loose-leafed Cultivars of Brassica oleracea ( Acephala Kale or Borecole is a form of Cabbage ( Brassica oleracea Acephala Group) green in color in which the central leaves do not Brassica juncea, also known as mustard greens, Indian mustard and leaf mustard, is a species of Mustard plant. For the Hawaiian fish salad see Poke (food. The pokeweeds, also known as poke, pokebush, pokeberry, pokeroot, African American slaves also developed recipes which used discarded meat from the plantation, such as pig’s feet, beef tongue or tail, ham hocks, chitterlings (pig small intestines), pig ears, hog jowls, tripe and skin. In modern English usage meat most often refers to Animal tissue used as food mostly Skeletal muscle and associated Fat, but it may also refer Beef is the Culinary name for Meat from Bovines especially domestic Cattle (cows The tongue is the large bundle of Skeletal muscles on the floor of the Mouth that manipulates Food for chewing and swallowing (deglutition The tail is the section at the rear end of an Animal 's Body; in general the term refers to a distinct flexible Appendage to the Torso. Ham is the Thigh and Rump of Pork, cut from the Haunch of a Pig or Boar. Chittlins (often ˈtʃɪtlɪnz and sometimes spelled chitlins in vernacular are the Intestines and rectum of a Pig that have been prepared as In Biology the small Intestine is the part of the Gastrointestinal tract (gut between the Stomach and the Large intestine, and comprises Cheeks ( Latin: buccae) constitute the area of the Face below the Eyes and between the Nose and the left or right Ear Tripe is a type of edible Offal from the Stomachs of various Domestic animals. Cooks added onions, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf to enhance the flavors. Organicsalsajpg||thumb|right|Onions used in salsa.]]Cooked onions in frying pan Allium sativum L, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the Onion family Alliaceae. Thyme (ˈtaɪm is a well known herb in common usage the name may refer to either the any or all members of the plant Genus Thymus, Bay leaf (plural bay leaves) Greek Daphni, Romanian Foi de Dafin; is the aromatic leaf of several Species of the Laurel family ( Lauraceae Many African Americans depended on catching their own meat, and wild game such as raccoon, opossum, turtle, and rabbit was, until the 1950s, very popular fare on the African American table. Game is any Animal hunted for Food or not normally domesticated (such as Venison) The raccoon ( Procyon lotor) (sometimes spelt as racoon) also known as the common raccoon, North American raccoon, northern raccoon Didelphimorphia is the order of common opossums of the Western Hemisphere. Turtles are Reptiles of the Order Testudines (all living turtles belong to the Crown group Chelonia) most of Rabbits are small Mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world

The slave diet began to evolve when slaves entered the plantation houses as cooks. Suddenly, southern cooking took on new meaning. Fried chicken began to appear on the tables (however, serving fried chicken was a tradition that stemmed from West Africa as a way to honor guests); sweet potatoes sat next to boiled white potatoes. Fried chicken (also referred to as Southern Fried chicken) is chicken which is dipped in a Breading mixture and then deep fried, pan The sweet potato ( Ipomoea batatas) is a Dicotyledonous plant which belongs to the family Convolvulaceae Regional foods such as apples, peaches, berries, nuts, and grains soon became puddings and pies; thus, soul cooking began to influence Southern food. The apple is the pomaceous Fruit of the apple tree Species Malus domestica in the Rose family Rosaceae. The word berry has two meanings one based on a botanical definition the other on common identification Grains make up the structure of Metals Metal surfaces contain a number of small crystals known as grains with boundaries where they join Pudding most often refers to a Dessert, but can also be a savory dish A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a Pastry dough shell that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or Savoury ingredients See also List of foods of the Southern United States The Cuisine of the Southern United States is defined as the regional culinary form of states

There was little waste in the traditional African American kitchen. Leftover fish became croquettes (by adding an egg, cornmeal or flour, seasonings which were breaded and deep-fried). Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two The croquette or croquet is a parcel of food containing Minced meat, Shellfish, Mashed potatoes or Vegetables encased in An egg is a round or oval body laid by the female of many animals consisting of an Ovum surrounded by layers of Membranes and an outer casing which acts to nourish Cornmeal is Flour ground from dried corn, and is a common Staple food. Flour is a powder made of Cereal grains It is the key ingredient of Bread, which is a staple food in many countries and therefore the availability Alternate meanings Seasoning (cast iron; Seasoning (wood; Seasoning (slave Seasoning is the process of imparting or improving Breading is a dry Grain -derived coating for a piece of food such as meat vegetable poultry fish Shellfish, Crustacean, seitan, or Deep frying is a Cooking method in which food is submerged in hot oil or Fat. Stale bread became bread pudding, and each part of the pig had its own special dish. Bread is a Staple food prepared by Baking a Dough of Flour and Water. Bread pudding is a Dessert popular in British cuisine, Cuisine of Puerto Rico, Mexican Cuisine, Louisiana Creole and that of the Southern Even the liquid from cooked greens, called potlikker, was consumed as a type of gravy, or drink. Collard liquor, also known as pot liquor, sometimes spelled potlikker' or pot likker' is the liquid that is left behind after boiling greens Gravy is an English Sauce made often from the juices that run naturally from meat or vegetables during cooking

After long hours of labor, the evening meal was a time for families to get together, and the tradition of communal meals was the perfect environment for conversation and the reciting of oral history and storytelling. Another tradition was the potluck dinner, with each family member bringing a different dish to the dinner. A potluck is a gathering of people where each person is expected to bring a dish of food to be shared among the group When it was their families' turn for a visit by the preacher, it was also common practice for African-American women to hold up Sunday lunches or dinners until he arrived. If the minister frequently graced one's family table, then that conferred upon the family a degree of prestige in the eyes of the congregation. The tradition of extended family, friends and neighbors gathering at one woman's household at Christmas and Thanksgiving because of her status as a cook also began with the preacher's approval. Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a traditional North American Holiday, which is a form of harvest festival.

After slavery in the United States came to an end, many poor African Americans could afford only the least expensive cuts of meat and offal. Offal is the Entrails and Internal organs of a Butchered Animal. Subsistence farming yielded fresh vegetables, and fishing and hunting provided fish and wild game, such as possum, rabbit, squirrel, and sometimes waterfowl. Didelphimorphia is the order of common opossums of the Western Hemisphere. Rabbits are small Mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world A squirrel is one of the many small or medium-sized Rodents in the family Sciuridae. See also UK Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust USA Ducks Unlimited

While soul food originated in the South, soul food restaurants—from fried chicken and fish "shacks" to upscale dining establishments—exist in virtually every African American community in the USA, especially in cities with large African American populations, such as Charleston, Atlanta, Chicago, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Florida, Houston, Detroit, New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Youngstown, Cleveland, New Orleans, Memphis,Los Angeles, Miami, Birmingham, Sacramento, St. Louis, Washington, D.C, and Atlantic City, New Jersey. Charleston is a city in Charleston county in the US state of South Carolina. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Kansas City Missouri only Items for the metro area Kansas City Kansas or North Kansas City MO should go on their respective pages The City of New York Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə Youngstown is a city in the US state of Ohio and the County seat of Mahoning County. Cleveland is a City in the US state of Ohio and the County seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana Memphis is a City in the southwest corner of Tennessee, and the County seat of Shelby County. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Birmingham (ˈbɝmɪŋhæm is the largest City in the US state of Alabama and is the County seat of Jefferson County. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States.

The mother of Southern cooking

Impoverished whites and blacks in the South prepared many of the same dishes stemming from the soul tradition, but styles of preparation sometimes varied. South is one of Cardinal directions and is opposite to the North. African American soul food generally tends to be more intensely spiced than European American cuisine. A spice is a dried Seed, Fruit, Root, Bark or vegetative substance used in Nutritionally insignificant quantities as a Food additive Certain techniques popular in soul and southern cuisine, such as frying meats (Egypt, 2500 B. C. ) and using all the parts of the animal for consumption (e. g. West Africa), have roots in ancient Africa.

Many people in the south debate over what the difference is between soul food and Southern cooking. Before the 1870s, the south was made up of a predominately Anglo and black population. Many blacks were cooks on plantations and may have taught the poor whites in the area their culinary traditions. Soul food is the first of the southern cuisines to arise, along with Creole cuisine (a similar cuisine that was isolated in the French Louisiana territory). Louisiana Creole cuisine is a style of Cooking originating in Louisiana (centered on the Greater New Orleans area that blends French, During the 1870s, Irish, German and Czech immigrants started to come into the south bringing their own traditions coupled with soul food. The Irish people ( Irish: Muintir na hÉireann, na hÉireannaigh, na Gaeil) are a Western European Ethnic group who originate The German people (Deutsche are an Ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent and speaking the German language as Czechs (Češi ˈt͡ʃɛʃɪ archaic Čechové) are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic This is when the larger, broad category of Southern cooking developed.

It is also important to note the Native American influence on soul cooking. For indigenous peoples in the United States other than Hawaii and Alaska see also Native Americans in the United States. Natives had been cultivating beans, strawberries, maize (a type of corn, being that any small grain can be called a corn), and chili peppers. Bean is a common name for large plant Seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae used for human food or animal Garden strawberries are a common variety of strawberry cultivated worldwide Maize (ˈmeɪz ( Zea mays L. ssp mays) known as corn in some countries is a cereal grain domesticated in Mesoamerica Maize (ˈmeɪz ( Zea mays L. ssp mays) known as corn in some countries is a cereal grain domesticated in Mesoamerica The chili pepper, chilli pepper, or chili, is the fruit of the plants from the Genus Capsicum, which are members of the nightshade For years Natives prepared hominy (also the source of hominy grits), hotwater cornbread and strawberry bread, which Europeans appropriated as strawberry shortcake. Hominy or nixtamal is dried maize (corn kernels which have been treated with an Alkali of some kind GRITS is a Christian hip hop group from Nashville, Tennessee. Cornbread is a generic name for any number of Quick breads (a bread leavened chemically rather than by Yeast) containing Cornmeal. Shortcake is a sweet Biscuit (in the American sense that is a crumbly Baking soda - or Baking powder -leavened Bread, known in British

Cookbooks

Since it was illegal in many states for enslaved Africans to learn to read or write, soul food recipes and cooking techniques tended to be passed along orally, until after slavery. A recipe is a set of instructions that show how to prepare or make something especially a culinary dish. The first soul food cookbook is attributed to Abby Fisher, entitled What Mrs. A cookbook is a Book that contains information on Cooking, and/or a list of Recipes It may also contain information on ingredient origin freshness Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking and published in 1881. Year 1881 ( MDCCCLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Good Things to Eat was published in 1911; the author, Rufus Estes, was a former slave who worked for the Pullman railway car service. Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Many other cookbooks were written by African Americans during that time, but as they were not widely distributed, most are now lost.

Since the mid-20th century, many cookbooks highlighting soul food and African American foodways compiled by African Americans have been published and well received. In social science foodways are the cultural, social and economic practices relating to the production and consumption of Food. Vertamae Grosvenor's Vibration Cooking, or the Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl, originally published in 1970, focused on South Carolina "lowcountry", Geechee, or Gullah, cooking. Vertamae Grosvenor (born 1938 in Hampton County South Carolina) is a Food writer and broadcaster raised in the South Carolina lowcountry. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. South Carolina ( is a state in the southern region ( Deep South) of the United States of America. The South Carolina Lowcountry (also spelled Low Country or just lowcountry) is a term used to describe South Carolina 's coastal counties generally south The Gullah are African Americans who live in the Low Country region of South Carolina and Georgia, which includes both the coastal plain and the The Gullah are African Americans who live in the Low Country region of South Carolina and Georgia, which includes both the coastal plain and the Its focus on spontaneity in the kitchen—cooking by "vibration" rather than precisely measuring ingredients, as well as "making do" with ingredients on hand—captured the essence of traditional African American cooking techniques. The simple, healthful, basic ingredients of lowcountry cuisine, like shrimp, oysters, crab, fresh produce, rice and sweet potatoes, made it a bestseller. True shrimp are swimming decapod Crustaceans classified in the Infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh The common name oyster is used for a number of different groups of Bivalve Mollusks most of which live in marine habitats or Brackish water. Crabs are decapod Crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (βραχύ / brachy Rice is a Cereal foodstuff which forms an important part of the diet of many people worldwide and as such it is a staple food for many The sweet potato ( Ipomoea batatas) is a Dicotyledonous plant which belongs to the family Convolvulaceae

At the center of African American food celebrations is the value of sharing. Likewise, African American cookbooks often have a common theme of family and family gatherings. Usher boards and Women's Day committees of various religious congregations large and small, and even public service and social welfare organizations such as the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) have produced cookbooks to fund their operations and for charitable enterprises. The National Council of Negro Women (NCNW is a Non-profit organization with the mission to advance the opportunities and the quality of life for African American women their The NCNW produced its first cookbook, The Historical Cookbook of the American Negro, in 1958, and revived the practice in 1993, producing a popular series of cookbooks featuring recipes by well-known and celebrity African Americans, among them: The Black Family Reunion Cookbook (1993), Celebrating Our Mothers' Kitchens: Treasured Memories and Tested Recipes (1994), and Mother Africa's Table: A Chronicle of Celebration (1998). Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) The NCNW also recently reissued The Historical Cookbook.

Celebrated traditional Southern chef and author Edna Lewis wrote a series of books between 1972 and 2003, including A Taste of Country Cooking (Alfred A. Knopf, 1976) where she weaves stories of her childhood in Freetown, Virginia into her recipes for "real Southern food". Edna Lewis ( April 13 1916 — February 13 2006) was Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Alfred A Knopf Inc is a New York publishing house founded by Alfred A Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Another organization, the Chicago-based Real Men Charities, in existence since the 1980s, sponsors food-based charitable and educational programs and activities around the nation. As its primary annual, celebrity-studded fundraiser, Real Men Charities sponsors "Real Men Cook" events and programs in fifteen cities nationwide, where African American men gather to present their best recipes—some original, others handed down for generations—for charity. The event is timed to coincide roughly with Juneteenth and Father's Day and is promoted with the slogan "Every day is Family Day When Real Men Cook. Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is an official annual holiday in 29 Twelve other states list it as an official holiday including Father's Day is a celebration inaugurated in the early twentieth century to complement Mother's Day in celebrating Fatherhood and male Parenting, and " In 2004, Real Men rolled out its Sweet Potato Pound Cake Mix in select food retail establishments in several cities, and published a cookbook in 2005 titled Real Men Cook: Rites, Rituals and Recipes for Living. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Proceeds from these events and from the cookbook help fund the organization's varied operations and activities.

Soul food and health

Soul food was developed by enslaved Africans who lived under the difficult and impoverished conditions of grinding physical labor. The history of soul food does not begin with the roots of slavery, but with traditions stretching back to Africa. It is humble, hearty fare, traditionally cooked and seasoned with pork products and often fried in lard. Pork' is the Culinary name for Meat from the domestic Pig ( Sus scrofa) often specifically the fresh meat but can be used as an all-inclusive Lard is pig Fat in both its rendered and unrendered forms Lard was commonly used in many cuisines as a Cooking fat or Shortening

Formerly, an important aspect of the preparation of soul food was the reuse of cooking lard. Because many cooks were too poor to throw out shortening that had already been used, they would pour the cooled liquid grease into a container. After cooling completely, the grease resolidified and could be used again the next time the cook required lard. Used cooking lard was simply a way to reuse an ingredient.

Frequent consumption of these ingredients without significant exercise or activity can contribute to disproportionately high occurrences of obesity, hypertension, cardiac/circulatory problems, and/or type 2 diabetes, conditions which often result in shortened lifespan. Obesity is a condition in which excess Body fat has accumulated to such an extent that health may be negatively affected Hypertension, also referred to as high blood pressure, HTN or HPN, is a medical condition in which the Blood pressure is chronically elevated Diabetes mellitus type 2 or Type 2 Diabetes (formerly called non - Insulin -dependent Diabetes mellitus (NIDDM or adult-onset diabetes is a metabolic Additionally, trans fat, which is used not only in soul food, but in many baked goods, is a known contributor to cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular diseases refers to the class of diseases that involve the Heart or Blood vessels ( arteries and

As a result, some African-Americans may use methods of cooking soul food different from those employed by their grandparents, including using more healthful alternatives for frying (liquid vegetable oil or canola oil) and cooking and stewing using smoked turkey instead of pork. Canola is a type of Edible oil derived from plants initially bred in Canada by Keith Downey and Baldur Stefansson in the 1970s The domesticated turkey is a large Poultry Bird raised for food Changes in hog farming techniques have also resulted in drastically leaner pork. Some cooks have even adapted recipes to include healthier alternatives to traditional ingredients including tofu and soy-based analogues. [1] Critics have argued that the attempt to make soul food healthier has the undesirable effect of not being as flavorful as the traditional recipes. [2]

Certain staples of a soul food diet have pronounced health benefits. Collard greens are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, B6, and C, manganese, iron, calcium, folic acid, fiber and small amounts of omega 3 fatty acids. Collards, also called borekale (from the Dutch boerenkool (farmers' kale are various loose-leafed Cultivars of Brassica oleracea ( Acephala A vitamin is an Organic compound required as a Nutrient in tiny amounts by an Organism. Vitamin A refers to a family of similarly shaped molecules the Retinoids. The B vitamins are eight water-soluble Vitamins that play important roles in cell Metabolism. Vitamin C or L-ascorbate is an Essential nutrient for a large number of higher primate species a small number of other Mammalian Manganese (ˈmæŋgəniːz is a Chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. Iron (ˈаɪɚn is a Chemical element with the symbol Fe (ferrum and Atomic number 26 Calcium (ˈkælsiəm is the Chemical element with the symbol Ca and Atomic number 20 Folic acid (also known as Vitamin M and Folacin) and Folate (the Anionic form are forms of the water-soluble Vitamin B9 Fiber or fibre is a class of Materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces similar to lengths of thread. n −3 fatty acids (popularly referred to as ω−3 fatty acids or omega-3 fatty acids) are a family of unsaturated Fatty acids that In Chemistry, especially Biochemistry, a fatty acid is a Carboxylic acid often with a long unbranched Aliphatic tail ( chain) which They also contain a number of phytonutrients which are thought to play a role in the prevention of ovarian and breast cancer. Phytochemicals are plant-derived chemical compounds under scientific research for their potential health-promoting properties but with unproved benefits Cancer (medical term Malignant Neoplasm) is a class of Diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled [3] Peas, rice, and legumes are excellent, inexpensive sources of protein which also contain important vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Proteins are large Organic compounds made of Amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by Peptide bonds between the Carboxyl Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of beta carotene and trace minerals as well, and have come to be classified as an "anti-diabetic" food. Beta-carotene is an Organic compound - a Terpenoid, a red-orange pigment abundant in plants and fruits Diabetes mellitus (ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz or /ˌdaɪəˈbiːtəs/ /məˈlaɪtəs/ or /ˈmɛlətəs/ often referred to simply as diabetes ( Ancient Greek: grc Recent animal studies have shown that sweet potatoes can stabilize blood sugar levels and lower insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is the condition in which normal amounts of Insulin are inadequate to produce a normal Insulin response from Fat, Muscle [4]

The importance of frying as a cooking technique is in large part responsible for soul food's reputation as greasy and unhealthy. However, when done correctly, deep fat frying at high temperatures can allow less oil into the food than pan frying with small amounts of oil. When foods are deep fried, the water in the food boils out. This outward force of steam is greater than the inward force of the oil, so very little oil ends up in the food. However, heavy breading, insufficient oil, or too low a temperature can result in oily, generally unhealthy food.

Soul food is often labor-intensive and meant for feeding a large family; therefore, it doesn't pose as much of a direct threat to health as fast or processed foods, which typically are eaten quickly and in large portions.

Dishes and ingredients

Soul food uses a great variety of dishes and ingredients, some unique and some shared with other cuisines.

Meats

Country-fried steak, with baked beans and mashed potatoes with white gravy
Country-fried steak, with baked beans and mashed potatoes with white gravy

Vegetables

Breads

Biscuits with honey
Biscuits with honey

Other items

Salmon Patties- A mixture of skinned & de-boned salmon, mixed with cornmeal, eggs, milk and onions fried in a skillet to make small, round patties. Tea refers to the cured agricultural product of the leaves leaf buds and internodes of Camellia sinensis, which have been prepared and cured for the market

Traditions

It is a long-standing tradition in some African American families to indulge in a family or communal New Year's Day dinner featuring cabbage or greens, which symbolize money, and black-eyed peas, which symbolize good luck. The word tradition comes from the Latin traditionem acc of traditio which means "a giving up delivering up surrendering" and is used in a number of New Year's Day is the first day of the Year. On the modern Gregorian calendar, it is celebrated on January 1, as it was also in ancient Rome (though Supermarkets that cater to African Americans often have these items, canned and fresh, in greater amounts and on prominent display at the end of the year to accommodate increased demand. Customer divider barjpg|thumb|In supermarkets sellers periodically change prices for classes of goods in response to market conditions rather than negotiating the price of each good

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ^ African Vegetarian Recipes : The Ethnic Vegetarian
  2. ^ Jonsson, Patrick (February 6, 2006). Backstory: Southern discomfort food. The Christian Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor (CSM is an international Newspaper published daily Monday through Friday The Christian Science Publishing Society. Retrieved on 2006-11-09. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 694 - Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims sentencing all
  3. ^ WHFoods: Collard greens
  4. ^ WHFoods: Sweet potatoes

References

Dictionary

soul food

-noun

  1. food traditionally eaten by southern African Americans
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