What Is Soul Food? Everything You Need To Know

The word "soul food" did not become popular until the 1960s. During the 1960s, with the advent of the civil rights and Black nationalism movements, many Black Americans wanted to regain their place in the American cultural tradition. People began to adopt the word "soul food" to describe the foods that Black Americans had been making for generations as terms like "soul brother," "soul sister," and "soul music" became popular. Amiri Baraka, a civil rights activist and poet, may have coined the term in 1962. In the same year, Sylvia Woods launched her now-famous Harlem restaurant Sylvia's; today, Woods is renowned as "The Queen of Soul Food." Soul food restaurants and cookbooks were popular until the 1970s.

What Are The Staples In Soul Food?

Soul cuisine is simple, down-home cuisine that originates in the rural South. Beans, greens, cornmeal (used in cornbread, hush puppies, and johnnycakes, as well as as a covering for fried fish), and pork are soul cuisine staples. Pork has an almost infinite amount of applications in soul food. Pig parts are used, including pig feet, ham hocks, ears, hog jowl, and chitlins. Pork fat is used in frying and as a seasoning in slow-cooked greens. Sweet, cool drinks are usually popular.

Difference Between Soul Food And Southern Food

Soul foods are southern foods, however not all southern foods are soul foods. Soul foods are derived from southern dishes abundant in the states that eventually became home to Africans and African Americans. Soul food evokes recollections of lived experiences, communal meals, celebrations, comfort, joy, sustenance, and nutrition. Each of these is a component of soul food.

Soul cuisine has gained popularity in recent years. Greens, okra, yams, black-eyed peas, and other foods that African Americans were raised on were once exclusively available in community grocery stores and household gardens. They can now be found in food halls, restaurants, farmer's markets, food trucks, organic food stores, and grocery stores. Produce aisles are brimming with the colours, forms, and aromas of these foods that may be unusual to some but are familiar to many.

Is Soul Food Healthy?

It very certainly can. Begin with leafy green vegetables like collards, dandelion, kale, mustard, spinach, and turnip greens, which are high in vitamins A, C, E, and K. Sweet potatoes come in a variety of colours, including orange, yellow, red, and purple. The nutrient-dense tubers are high in vitamins A and C, as well as potassium and fibre. Beans and legumes are popular sources of plant-based protein, B vitamins, fibre, and other minerals. Ancient grains, such as sorghum and millet, are high in nutrients and gluten-free. Looking at its African roots, much of the food is plant-based, making soul food appealing to vegans looking for vegan variations on conventional meat-flavoured dishes.