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Call for questions: Black food culture! (Patreon)

Published:
2023-03-28 20:51:37
Imported:
2026-06

Content

So excited to chat with Dr. Psyche Williams-Forson, who is a Professor of American Studies at the University of Maryland College Park.

She is an expert on American culture and Black food studies and this should be so interesting and fun. So leave your questions below and let's dig in!

Meanwhile, I'm at my desk drinking a spicy chai working on Part 1 of a 2-parter that drops tonight and it's a biggie. Oh, so good. Also a Smologies dropped today on Somnology in case you have any little ones or G-rated listeners who need to hear about sleep. 

Okay, your cuisine questions: leave 'em! And let me know if I've never said your name or said it wrong!

In curiosity we trust,

Ol' Ward

Comments

Taylor Wade

Why is good mac and cheese so controversial? What is the right mac and cheese???

Timmy H.

Please discuss the influences of black foraging on the food and cooking! 💕

Bobbie

What Taylor said.

Aubrey Nelson

How much of classic “southern food” is really just rooted in black food culture?

Rockyt

Remember when burger king had black burger buns and gave everyone green poop? That was fun

Quincey Robisheaux

Is there any such thing as Southern food that doesn't have roots in black culture? Also, I know this is the silliest possible question, but what's your opinion on Cajun vs Creole food (asking as a Cajun lol)

Amanda McClendon

Please talk about the role of food in the Civil Rights Movement!

Doctor (almost!) Elder

How did Black cuisine change with the migration to urban areas, and are there any dishes that are particular examples of this?

kris jagoopy

How different is Black American soul food and White American southern food? (or “down home cookin” as my arkansas granny says, lol) Where do they intersect?

Alie Ward

That's a great question and I'm sure she has opinions!

Alie Ward

I do remember. I remember it well.

RJ Doidge

I notice that this is called “black food culture” and I’m curious if that differs from what is traditionally called “soul food.” Are we looking at a diaspora from the globe or specifically within the United States? Either way, I’m thrilled to learn and share with the Ologites Who Cook!

Michelle Lee

Yes!! Would love to hear about the history of foraging and its relationship to Black foodways, both historical and contemporary.

Alie Ward

Excellent question. I feel like the kind baked in the oven with crumbs on top should have a different name than the kind you make on the stovetop with a foil packet -- and I love both. They're just... chicken and turkey. Apples and oranges. Casserole and hot cheesemilk pastacereal.

kris jagoopy

What’s your favorite food!!!!!?

Courtney Carey

What are some foods that you wish more people knew the history behind? How do certain foods grow to be accustomed to different cultures?

Alie Ward

Definitely going to ask this, for sure!

RJ Doidge

You da best dad, sending consensual hugs.

Alie Ward

and as someone who is woefully uniformed, I'd love to hear her knowledge on the terms BBQ vs. barbecue vs. cookout.

Aubrey Nelson

Definitely interested in regional differences like Louisiana gumbo, soul food, barbecues, and how black food adapted and changed moving north and west in the US as well!

RJ Doidge

Maybe that’s regional? Kinda like flrefly and lightning bug?

RJ Doidge

#ThatSoundsDirty

Kelli Brockington

What is the deal with Mayo hate in black culture food? as a white chick (me) married to a black man (him) - he does not understand it either - he does not hate mayo and prefers it on cold sandwiches as opposed to mustard - could it be a north / south thing - he is from Philly but his extended family roots are from Georgia and South Carolina...

Rebekah Wofford

What are your thoughts on traditionally Black ingredients (ex. I’ve been seeing lots of oxtail on Twitter as a part of this discussion) becoming more “mainstream”. Is it cultural appropriation or positive for sharing culture?

Mushroom Morgan

There are obviously lots of jokes about white people not seasoning their food, are there any seasonings that are particular keystones in black food/cooking?

Jocelyn Taylor

Can we settle the debate that sugar does NOT go on grit or is it a mid west aspect? #saltandpeppergoesongrits

Aubrey Nelson

Ooooo okay I just want to know their opinion on making a roux

Joel Henderson

I just heard of something called digital blackface, and if I’ve shared a Chapelle meme I may be guilty… Is gastronomical blackface a thing? Must I enjoy my Ethiopian take alone out in a windowless room?

Deacon Raid

I had a hotdog with Mac and cheese on it with bacon bits a tiny bit of barbecue sauce a few weeks ago. I haven’t stopped thinking about it.

A. McCaig

Kris Leaf jagoopy asks a great question because living in the south (Alabama) you see Black American "Soul Food" and the White American "Southern Comfort Food" is much the same, maybe spiced a little differently - but both are awesome!

Nancy Anderson

More than 50 years ago, in North Carolina, where I was raised, Gullah cooking was referenced in some recipes. I know it came from South Carolina, but how does it fit in with black American cuisine today?

Lizzy Martinez

For Black History month, a friend's workplace received backlash for the food options they chose to celebrate Black culture and cuisine. How could people be better at supporting actual Black cuisine?

Finlay

hi sorta new commenter here, i’ve heard about how black people during slavery would make maps in their hair, or other places to get to a safe space. is there something similar with recipes?? like recipes that had only been spoken and never written

BRG

Is the Southern fast food chain "Bojangles" racist? I am running out of prejudice-neutral places to get a good chicken biscuit on the go.

Astrology & Stuff

The significance of mac and cheese, please! I’m in North Carolina, and no holiday table is complete without it. Is this a regional thing? How much has black culture influenced the prevalence of that cheesy goodness? Also- to hot sauce or not to hot sauce? Thanks so much!

Catherine Wood

To borrow from The Hate U Give - is mac & cheese a side or a main dish? How did this become such a cultural debate?

Sandy Green

Best place to find authentic recipes with information on the roots/history of the dishes??

Julia Talbot

How did black food change, shape or influence the food of the midwest/upper midwest during/after the great migration - was black food influenced or changed by the great migration? How? What new or different ingredients were used/adapted/adopted? Thank you!

Alex Morales

Despite the connotation of Black food being more or less Southern food, where do you see the intersection of African and Black American cuisine? I know African cuisine is varied by each respective country and community but I’m curious if Black cuisine, as many know it today, is closely tied to parts of African cuisine.

Catzi

Where does one find African produce stateside?

Nathalie Jones

Favorite or traditional beverages in Black food culture?

Bennett Vanderbosch

What foods or dishes can we trace back to cultural foods enslaved people ate in their homelands? Is there anything that's pretty faithfully replicated to this day? Is there anything that used to be made that isn't very common anymore?

Stephanie Leské

Oh my oh my! This is an exciting one!!! I love food & I love trying new things when I travel. I go to Nairobi in a few months & would love any tips to eat culturally & most important respectful while there! Any DO'S OR DON'TS? Also new oreleans food... tell me everything. ~ Stephanie Leské

EdNoGG

Chitlins… WHY!? 😩😩😩

Bob Keeney

A number of long-time Kansas City BBQ joints are black owned. How did black culture affect BBQ in the beginning and do you see it still influencing where BBQ is going? And what's her favorite BBQ area (i.e. Texas is about the rub, KC about the tomato/molasses sauce, Georgia mustard based, and North Carolina vinegar based (yuck!)

Kristi Hager

Or are there foods that the Ologist wishes that more people would eat? Like a hidden gem of cuisine

Kristi Hager

I would love to hear her take on the book “High on the Hog” and the documentary based on it, as well as the cultural awareness that has grown from it.

Michael Heiker

What defines ‚Black Food‘ ? The Continent it comes from ? The People ? Is there a common thread that unites all of ‚Black Food‘ ?

Kristi Hager

Actual yams (not sweet potatoes). I'd love to taste them and experiment with all kinds of dishes.

Maya Platypus

I have been noticing for a little while now a blending of southern soul food and various African cuisine, and a lack of recognition of it in mainstream food media. When do you think there will be a Michelin star soul food/African American chef?

Catzi

Right?

Melanie Metzger

You hear about collards, okra, fried chicken, BBQ, etc...as traditional "soul foods" but what would you consider a lesser known "hidden secret" dish that doesn't get as much love or attention?

rikspieks

soul food: is it a thing or a marketing trend?

Lauren Seibert

Is there any dishes Hercules Posey (chef of George Washington) and James Hemings (Thomas Jefferson’s chef) helped to create or bring mainstream??

Between Dumplings

I’ve read about the loss of cookout expertise. Like “none of the men coming up know how to man the grill!” An intriguing observation. And if it signals a generational shift what does that mean? Also are we in a Renaissance with Michael Twitty, Stephen Satterfield, Dr. Jessica B. Harris, Adrian Miller all raising the profile, educating about roots and diversity? Gullah Gechee seems to occupy its own position?

Isabel Vaz

Are there certain cooking techniques that can be traced back to Black culture?

RoadLesTravelled

Is Caribbean / Jamaican cuisine a recent influence in “customary” Black American cuisine?

Christina Johnson

Agree! What are some of the American mainstream foods and styles of cuisine that we should be crediting African or black history with creating? Also, how do these styles of food trace back through the history of cultures? Why did ppl cook what they did? Curious about societal, cultural, and historical influences on food.

Jenna Congdon

Which foods come from Black roots but most people don't realize it, or foods that most people assume is from a different culture but actually ties to Black food culture? There has to be lots of them! What deserves to be recognized? And most importantly, which is your favorite?

Katie Seeger

Yes! This one! What types of food do we not know about, or just don’t recognize as black food?

Jani Rounds

Have there been changes in Black American food culture with the rise of redlining/food deserts? Acknowledging that there have always been inequities

Garden Specialist

I would be interested to hear the historical sociocultural ethnobotany of traditionally "black" food. What is their origin, how and why are they "black" and not "southern" or low country" or whatever. Ex: greens, watermelon, mac & cheese, grits, cornbread, peanuts.... (I took an economic ethnobotany course in college and it was my absolute favorite class!)

Garden Specialist

Claire again: I (white) asked my (black) boyfriend if cooking steak medium well to well done is "a black thing" (remember that line from the 90's) and he said "probably, because historically blacks didn't get the best, freshest cuts of meat, so it was safer to cook thoroughly," Is that true, or is my sample size leading to false conclusions? Might that also explain stews like brunswick stew (with rabbit or squirrel), gumbo, and even roasted whole pork. (long cooking) and maybe even vinegar-based sauces to kill bacteria, kinda like ceviche? I'm reaching now. Also it's interesting (to me) that I had a native Hawaiian friend who noted that many southern foods overlapped with Hawaiian foods: roasted pork, macaroni salad, sweet potatoes, leafy vegetables.... I'm curious WHY? Climate? Ease of growing? Low cost?

Average_pi

Does dr Williams-Forson have a particular favorite or significant recipes?

Garden Specialist

Sweet potato pie, grits, shrimp & grits, hush puppies, biscuits, sausage gravy, banana pudding, buttermilk pie, brunswick stew and gumbo. (Born and raised in NC and worked at a renowned southern restaurant). Ohmigosh now my mouth is WATERING

Garden Specialist

I worked at 2 fine southern cuisine restaurants in NC, and know that pulled pork, sweet potato pie, buttermilk pie, grits, shrimp & grits, hush puppies, biscuits, sausage gravy, banana pudding, brunswick stew and gumbo all potentially have Black history.

Garden Specialist

Along these lines, I'd like advice on how to tactfully and respectfully celebrate food of any culture without being slammed for cultural appropriation or stereotyping. Like would they get similar backlash for Nordic or Jewish or Japanese foods?

Garden Specialist

Along these lines, I'd like advice on how to tactfully and respectfully celebrate food of any culture without being slammed for cultural appropriation or stereotyping. Like would one get similar backlash for craving Nordic or Jewish or Japanese foods? (Cross posted as a comment elsewhere too)

Kent Durvin

Were there wild-harvested spices and seasonings the culture that are now forgotten?

Heidi Stooshnoff

Hoping so much she covers how Black people took foods that were considered trash to their enslavers and came to make them a delicacy. Also has she seen High On The Hog? What were her thoughts.

Pinot Noir

Growing up in Mississippi as a kid, my grandmother would say, "They only thing not edible on a pig is the Oink"! I've always wondered how true this was. So, I'm asking now. Thanks.

Mallory Skinner

Is there any dish or ingredient that people think of as a “staple” of black cuisine that you wish wasn’t? I’m thinking about how non-indigenous people think of fry bread as stereotypical indigenous food when in reality it’s a really recent addition and was only created out of necessity during oppression. Is there any parallel to that in black cuisine?

Nancy Boyle

Bread is a staple and a symbol of many cultures. What is the quintessential bread in black cuisine?

Marisa Asher

from me and my friend adam!! so what was black food culture like pre slavery and did any of those recipes/traditions survive? and also present day is there any similarity between black american food and african food?

Danae DeJournett

My husband has a question! He wants to know if there’s any soul food that actually didn’t originate during the slave days. Like maybe instead of chittlins and collared greens originating from slaves making due with the leftovers, the white slave owners made some version of those and that ended up being absorbed into black culture. Or is all soul food just as it seems: a black staple that started in the days of empty stomachs and slavery?

Ashlee Dent

I want to spark a conversation about okra. Where did it originate and how was it significant to folks who were forced into the United States? How did they grow it and keep it alive throughout generations?

Addie Cappello she her

Can you talk about specific spices/seasonings/flavors that would fall into this category? Are there seasonings or way of cooking certain foods that would make a difference as to the place of origin? Excited to learn more, don’t know much about this topic!

Camille L

Favorite books or movies on the topic that your guest would recommend? So excited for this episode!

Clara Ellen

Seed variety stories? I've read about a few important vegetable varieties developed and stewarded within Black communities, such as Fish hot peppers.

Lucy Antonelli

why are chitlins a specialty/delicacy? my friend invited me over one christmas and she wouldn’t stop apologizing for the smell of the pig intestines boiling 🤣her parents and (some) other family love them and she hates them and was so embarrassed. i was definitely intrigued but my weak stomach could never 🤢

Renee Wanger

First time question asker Renee here :) I'm a pie maker and the more I learn about pie the more I'm fascinated about the wide orgins of it. The question "what kinds of pie are historically black?" Feels too narrow so maybe "where does pie fit into black food culture?" Is better. Follow up: how can "us woke white people" enjoy/cook/serve traditionally black food in a way that doesn't perpetuate racism/erasure of culture?

Jeanné Lewis

Pls pls discuss this. And Jocelyn is correct. There is only 1 right answer to this question.

Jeanné Lewis

FTQA Jeanné (pronounced Ja-Nay). Hot sauce. We (Black ppl) gotta have it so bad it's in our bags. What are the origins? The regional differences? It crosses the diaspora. And even though other ethnicities love hot sauce (I see you Latinx and Asian fam) why is hot sauce so undeniably Black in the US?

Meg Shooter

I was wondering this too - and if not is it easy to substitute veg/vegan ingredients and still keep the dishes authenticity? Also I'm from Australia so sorry if this is a ridiculous question - it is something I know nothing about and am really looking forward to this ep!!

Al Hamm

Are there any foods in the United States that have origins from West African (or other formerly enslaved groups) cultures that we don't typically associate as such? Also, what culinary traditions/experiences have spread through the African diaspora and become popular in the USA since the slave trade ended?

Celia Bell

How did The Great Migration effect Black Food? Chicago for instance has a HUGE food culture and a weird combination of segregation and other nearby immigrant populations. Was there cross-pollination? Does food from industrial Northern cities branch off significantly from southern rural food culture?

Hezy Anholt

What's up with fried chicken? It's a food associated with African-American culture (and stereotype), but it's also super popular among Black peoples throughout the African continent. Coincidence? Or does this food tradition in America have African roots?

jennyxxdreadful

I live in Alabama, and I grew up with all of that being like...delicacies. My dad always ate neck bones which I ~think~ are beef? He always was really excited when he got to eat them!

Spencer Parks

I love a good spicy chai! Mmmmmm.

Spencer Parks

I've noticed a trend towards Black-owned vegan restaurants. What is it about Black culture that tends to lean towards vegan more than other cultures? Could it be as "simple" as being more compassionate and empathetic towards other living things because of the oppression they've had to deal with for hundreds of years? Or is it more about the food itself? Or maybe I'm thinking about it too hard.

The Aerial Mapper

Do we enjoy food that is part of our culture more because it reminds us of our family and childhood or are there actual biological reasons our tastebuds are more adapted to certain foods?

Geetanjali Pendyala

Are there any fruits/vegetables/animals that were introduced to the US by African Americans, that have become an integral part of American cooking?

Jasmine Kwasa

I heard recently that Jambalaya might be a descendent of Jollof rice (origin: west africa but I won't name a country bc I might start a fight). Any other food lineage hypotheses? I know we tend to replace certain items based on availability, like sweet potatoes for yams, but there have to be a ton more connections, right?

Adam Foote

When we say "black food culture", I (as a white male from the Northeast US) instantly think of the traditional South. But I highly doubt that is the only black food in the US, or even in the Southern US! What parts of this food culture am I missing simply because all I think of is decadent Southern cooking? And, to second a few other question-askers, how can I make/enjoy this food culture without being culturally insensitive? Part of me feels like just asking the question helps but I know there's more to it than that.

Adam Foote

Oh! Another one: What are foods that I enjoy every day that I don't know have origins in this rich food history?

Olivier Calas

I think of soul food as a great unifying principle since everybody loves it. I seek it wherever I go but it’s in the South that it lives. In your view, are the ingredients key or is the attitude towards food more essential?

Cole

As a white southern girl I've always wondered about the blurry lines between "black food" and "southern food" because I know some of the dishes my grandma made in rural Georgia would be put in both of those categories by some people even though she was not black. How do people who study this think about it?

Brooke Troxmondo

Would love to learn more about how enslaved people braided seeds and maps into their hair. How else were food and food traditions preserved (and evolved) through enslavement, share cropping, Great Migration , etc.?

Todd Peterson

Great question! I posted a kind of snarky "does anybody truly like collard greens?" question in this thread...I prefer your more nuanced approach because it really is a good question. Like I'm one of the people for whom cilantro tastes like soap. So how much food is "acquired taste" vs biological is a great question!

Matt Thompson

Is there an issue with gentrification/social media coverage causing prices of ingredients/meals to increase?

AJ Gray

Could you talk a little bit about the history of Black agricultural traditions in America and how they relate to food and culture? I’m thinking about a seed saving workshop I attended at the Weeksville Heritage Center in Brooklyn, which really opened my eyes to the role land access has played not just in providing economic opportunity for for black Americans but for the preservation of culinary traditions.

Photo Geegee

I was also curious about this!

Photo Geegee

I would love to hear about cookouts- is a cookout different from a barbecue or a block party? And why is a cookouts tied so closely to black culture?

Matt Rippon

Where do you draw the line between appropriation and appreciation of black food culture with non black chefs??

Matt Rippon

What's your favourite ingredients that white people don't use or misuse?

Mary Long

What is the history behind the spices that are more common in Black cooking?

choirqueer

Highly recommend the book Sistah Vegan by A. Breeze Harper, and all of Bryant Terry's books, for info on Black vegan food traditions! I think there are others that aren't jumping to mind for me right now...but off the top of my head I can definitely suggest those!

Joe Wilkie

how can we best appreciate black cooking as someone outside of the community?

Gordee

Ftqa* How has poverty/slavery lead to different foods that have become staples in black households? How has black food impacted the black community as a way of bringing people closer together? Or carrying messages?

Brie Stewart

Can you please talk about Red Drink? What is the history, what are the key ingredients, what kind is your favorite?

Cnidarian Knight

What ingredient(s) have most influenced and maintained black culture through migrations?

Ellie Snowden

Where does the term Jerk chicken come from 🐓

Ellie Snowden

What is the one overrated dish you see popularised and what is the one lesser known dish you’d like everyone to get behind?

MacKenna Butler

I've noticed several vegan soul food places popping up around me and I have read that vegan food is becoming increasingly popular in black food culture. Is that true and, if so, how would you describe the impact of a plant-based lifestyle on it?

Megan Younce

Oh I'm really excited to hear this one!

Justin Saucedo

Can white peoples just…give cooking it a shot?

Gemma

Does Soul Food have indigenous culinary traditions influences?

Gemma

What is "The Gospel Bird"?

Gemma

Have you listened to Disney Pixar Soul's "Collard Greens and Cornbread strut"?

Gemma

Even after all the effort of the European spice wars, white people still dont know how to season their food. Why is that? Is it mainly just a cultural thing or is there some aspect of your genetics that makes you more prone to heat?

Savannah

okay I live in South Africa and would really like to know why is it that European food is significantly more bland and has reduced flavor profiles when compared to African cooking? Is this an historical effect? An effect of colonization? Very curious as how this applies to America. (First time question asker)

Brenda J Truax

"Black food" has as much variety as "white food." What do you see as the commonality that groups it?

Julia Hutton

First time question asker, long time listener!! What should listeners know about the connection between racism and fatphobia/diet culture? What actions can we take to promote justice through food in our personal lives and in our communities?

Ella Whaanga

Hiiiii, Omi gosh I'm so excited, long time listener and a newborn baby patreon!Okay questions! I'm from Aotearoa (New Zealand) and as an indigenous person we have so many favourite kai what are her favourite foods/meals? Also I used to work in a high end restaurant where I was the only Maori chef and they did this fun little thing where they "recreated" traditional dishes and it was carnage, pretty much 99% of customers were white and the dishes where so 'hip' and 'trendy' while butchering the language as they ordered it off the menu, it felt so wrong that they wanted cultural dishes as a trend but they only have one poc in their kitchen. At the time I was young and too scared to say anything, Has this been an issue that she has struggled to navigate and how does she if so? Lots of love from downunder ;)

leni sae

As a European, I'm confused: why is there so much "having to own a culture" in the US? If someone would try to wear my indigenous clothes as someone not descending from my culture i don't think it would be causing an outrage. How are people so afraid of other people "stealing their culture"? Let them wear braids, braids look cool? Isn't that appreciating your culture? --sorry for the rant, probably it's the wrong ologie to ask on

Don Nelson

Long time lurker, first time inquisitor - food and music are such inseparable things, and I would like to know the "etymology" of such as "Red beans and rice blues" (Gladys Bentley, 1929), "Catfish blues", and so, so many more! Ciao & mangia

Don Nelson

BTW, Alie, would you please do an episode on Spiceology? Yeah, it's a thing. Thanks!

Lauren N.

This is what I wanted to ask! I’m glad I read the questions before asking. Are there notable forks in recipes/ways of preparation as families moved out of the south? Like if two groups were from similar areas in the south but ended up in different places after the great migration.

Caelan Rathke

I second this! There are so many interesting names to food and surely there is some great story behind each one.

Caelan Rathke

Thinking beyond the food itself, how has mealtime culture changed over the course of black american history? What meals are important or revered (like my grandma's sunday suppertime where everyone was together)? Are there holidays or traditions that are celebrated (like margs on cinco de mayo)?

princenocturnal

where does the stereotype of black people being able to endure spicier food come from? is there any truth to it? can you even generalize such a thing?

Barchaeologist

Can we talk about rice? Seems like there is a lot of melting of Asian and African cuisine and agricultural knowledge that blended in the south and brought about a whole slew of new dishes there. But what is different among varieties and usage between the 3 continents?

curly fry

What are the origins of food cooked by POC having more spice and flavor? Everyone always says white food it bland.