Soul food is a cuisine that connects generations of African-Americans to the origins of how we arrived and survived in the United States. Many African-Americans are proud of soul food as it’s truly symbolic of the history of the African-American struggle.
Soul food was essentially created by enslaved African-Americans, who often had goals of creating hearty meals out of minimal ingredients and resources. Slaves combined their knowledge of West African cooking methods with techniques they learned from Europeans and Native Americans. This combination of techniques and ingredients eventually gave birth to the South’s most famous cuisine.
Central ingredients of soul food cuisine include pork, fish and chicken. Cajun seasoning is commonly used. The most common vegetables found in soul food plates include black eyed peas, collards, and okra.
Soul food’s recent rise in popularity has given the cuisine more exposure in recent years. This has led to soul food evolving somewhat, especially in large metropolitan areas. The term “soul food” may be becoming a bit overused, as it’s commonly used to describe general southern cuisine.
