Where Did Soul Food Originate?

Soul food is a term that is used to refer to an ethnic cuisine, particularly food that is traditionally prepared and eaten by the African Americans from the southern United States. Today in the US, "soul food" has come to mean African-American cuisine.

During the mid 1960s, when the Civil Rights Movement was just in its initial stages, terms and phrases such as “soulful,” “soul man,” and “soul” were used in association with the black community. This new terminology caught on with the American mainstream and eventually, someone coined the term ”soul food” to refer to their cuisine. Some of the more popular “soul foods” enjoyed today include: biscuits (a shortbread pastry similar to scones and served with butter and jam), macaroni and cheese, ribs, rice with red beans, and fried ice cream.

History of Soul Food

Soul food originated from African American cooking. In the beginning of the 14th century, meat was used sparingly in dishes. The average African in the 14th century mostly had a vegetarian diet although seafood did occasionally show up in stews. Native peppers and okra were used to season dishes while salt was used as a preservative.

African cooking was very simple. Even the utensils that were used were made out of earthenware, squashes, or prepared gourds. Food preparation was easy and quite healthful. They would cook by boiling food or steaming food in leaves. They would also fry foods in palm oil, fire-roast foods or bake foods in ashes. Some foods were also smoked for extra depth in flavoring. Africans would thicken their stews using seeds and nuts and oftentimes made rice dishes and fritters. A typical meal would consist of chicken, rice, and milk. The poor citizens would eat leafy vegetables with couscous. The African diet therefore was both satisfying and healthy. In addition, they enjoyed communal living and a sharing of meals together. This created venues for storytelling and passing on of oral tradition.

Change in Diet

In the 1400s, slave trading began and the diet of the enslaved Africans changed dramatically during their journeying from their homeland. During the voyages, small portions of beans along with the occasional piece of fruit or vegetable replaced their previously hearty and healthy eating habits. In actuality, however, the slaves often technically had better diets as compared to their owners. Owners would indulge themselves with fried fatty foods, with almost zero vegetables plus loads of alcoholic beverages and sweets. Such unhealthy diets left them feeling lethargic most of the time.

The slaves needed more energy to do their work and so they sought sustanance by consuming vegetarian meals and avoided drinking. Lemonade and iced tea were their usual beverages.

As they began to adapt into the American slave society, they simply had to make do with the ingredients that were made available to them. The fresh vegetables they used to enjoy in Africa were replaced by the leftovers and throwaways from their plantation house.

Their vegetables consisted of the top portions of beets, turnips, and dandelions. They were soon introduced to new types of green vegetables such as mustard greens, collards, cress, kale, and pokeweed. With lard coming from slaughtered hogs and the cracklings from hog's skin, they were able to have filling meals.  

The women would typically use ingredients such as garlic, onion, bay leaf, and thyme to concoct an assortment of dishes. Cornmeal was used to make bread and scrap parts from the pig became their main dishes along with huge portions of greens. Molasses and cornmeal was served as their dessert. 

Their diet soon evolved further when the slaves worked inside the plantation houses as cooks. With such a bounty of available new ingredients at their reach and a well-rounded palate, the cooks were successful in making delectable dishes for their masters.

All of a sudden, southern cooking transformed, and these changes provide the answer to the question of where did soul food originate. Fried chicken began appearing on their tables, with sides of sweet potatoes or boiled white potatoes. Apples, berries, peaches, grains, and nuts were turned into scrumptious pies, tarts, and puddings. Possum became the slaves’ meat of choice since hunting time was limited to the short free time they had.