Many people know the origins of soul food now. It was what enslaved people were given as scraps after slave owners had their meals, and our ancestors did their best to make do and they did.
Today we have variations of amazing food recipes that date all the way back to those perilous times that have been passed on throughout the generations.
Unfortunately, Black people have received no recognition for our contributions to the culinary community. On the bright side, there are now many Black chefs and preservationists that keep traditions going and continue to add to our powerful history.
On May 26, Netflix released High on the Hog: How Arfican American Cuisine Transformed America, a book by Jesica B. Harri who is a culinary historian. The trailer appears to tell the story of the legacy of soul food and the heavy impact it has had on American cuisine.
There are many amazing chefs on the show that show a variety of delicacies, but two that really stood out were Jerelle Guy and Gabrielle Etienne Carter.
Jerelle Guy is the author of Black Girl Baking, which is a cookbook of soul food recipes that include vegan and gluten-free options!
She is also the founder of Chocolate for Basil. On her Instagram you can see a delicious looking layout of her recipes ranging from olive oil bundt cake with beet swirl to cantaloupe ginger agua frescas (a spicy, sweet drink).
Recently, she was nominated for a James Beard Award from the James Beard Foundation, which is a Black owned foundation that supports chefs that contribute to diversity and sustainability within the culinary community. Jerelle’s book can be found online at Amazon.com in the paperback or Kindle version.