June is National Soul Food Month!

     The term "soul food" first appeared in the 1960s in an attempt to elevate the style of cooking that originated in the South, as the result of the African Diaspora. The enslaved Africans brought to the southern United States brought with them rich foodways, recipes, foods, and techniques that adapted and evolved as they merged with European and Native American cultures and incorporated new resources found in the Americas.  Soul food is in many ways synonymous with southern cooking, but not exactly 100%. Enslaved cooks had to develop recipes based on the left-overs, the not-so-desirable meats and vegetables that they had to eat. Since they prepared food for a large number of white southerners in homes and restaurants, soul food grew in prominence, so that a lot of what is recognized as southern cooking, popular in white and black homes, grew out of soul food. National Soul Food Month was created in 2001 to celebrate this important part of American culture.

    Here are four culinary historians whose works you should read if you want to learn more about soul food:

    Michael Twitty  (Twitter: @Koshersoul /Instagram:@thecookinggene/Michael W. Twitty on Facebook),  is a food writer, independent scholar, culinary historian , and historical interpreter personally charged with preparing, preserving and promoting African American foodways and its parent traditions in Africa and her Diaspora and its legacy in the food culture of the American South.  Michael is also a Judaic studies teacher from the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area and his interests include food culture, food history, Jewish cultural issues, African American history and cultural politics. He writes a blog called Afroculinaria (  https://afroculinaria.com/ )

    Adrian Miller is a food writer, James Beard Award winner, attorney, and certified barbecue judge who lives in Denver, Colorado. He's published several books on soul food.(https://adrianemiller.com/)

    Jessica B. Harris ( http://www.africooks.com/wordpress/ ) is the author of twelve cookbooks and histories of soul food in her over forty-year career as a journalist, and she is considered one of the most knowledgeable authors in the field. Her book High On the Hog was recently made into a docuseries on Netflix and features other historians like Twitty and Miller.

    

Toni Tipton-Martin just recently was named as a recipient of the Julia Child Award and grant, recognizing her influence on documenting American culture through food. (https://tonitiptonmartin.com/ ) .