I just found out July is National Culinary Arts month. I have been thinking a lot about the role of food and Black culture and the ways we use food to build community and stay connected to our past.
I recently had a conversation with Dr. Melynda Price about Juneteenth celebrations and she spoke about reclaiming the foods of our ancestors that nourished them and brought people together. We began with a discussion of watermelon and the stigma attached to it. Through the course of our conversation, Dr. Price explained the ways Black families have used watermelon to hydrate, nourish themselves, and have a communal snack. We both smiled thinking about matriarchs in our families getting the “big knife” and cutting the watermelon outside for all to enjoy. We talked about the different ways people cut watermelon, slices verses cubes. And I reveled remembering long hot summer days where the juice would drip down my elbow and I’d get full from a fruit sweeter than candy.
This reflection made me think of all of the Black chefs who are making sure they not only cook dishes that respect and honor our ancestors, they are making sure they educate the public about the history of our foods and the ways they’ve been used over time. I am constantly complaining about the ever-increasing price of oxtails, a cut of meat my mother said used to be so cheap it was almost free. Now oxtails are seen as a delicacy and are incredibly expensive in grocery stores and butcher shops across the country.
I follow the writing of Jamila Robinson, food editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer and one of the few Black women in this rarified space. She has been highlighting new Black chefs across the country (and the globe) and elevating discussions about food extending beyond French and Italian cuisine. Listening to her talk about why African Americans season and spice foods and how it is directly linked to a more (not less) sophisticated palate, is just one of the reasons why we need more African Americans leading discussions pertaining to food and culinary preferences based in historic practices.
As I think about the cookouts I’ll attend this summer and the outdoor birthdays I’ll surely celebrate, I plan on sharing the cookbook by the late Edna Lewis as one of my staple birthday presents this season. Her “In Pursuit of Flavor: The Beloved Classic Cookbook” is an accessible cookbook that introduced me to so many unique recipes covering a myriad of southern dishes.
Hopefully this summer you will be inspired to try new recipes, eat new foods, and explore a different part of town and discover a new restaurant. Food is an integral part of who we are and the more we know about our culinary history, the more we can share with others.
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University, the author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream,” and the co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC and host of The Blackest Questions podcast at TheGrio.