A few weeks ago, I attended an event at the Stagville Historic Site, a historical site of one of the largest plantations of the pre-Civil War South. As part of a fundraiser, the site had an afternoon of events which included demonstrations of outdoor cooking methods of African Americans of the 18th and 19th century.
At the event, historian and chef Michael Twitty participated in a panel discussion about Southern food. Twitty is dedicated to preparing, preserving and promoting African American food and its connection and legacy to Africa and other countries that influenced the food culture of the South. He is interested in his family history, and in his work as the Antebellum Chef and his blog Afroculinaria, he investigates the large number of unknown Black cooks across the Americas that were essential in the creation of the creole cuisines of Atlantic world. He also is interested in the responsible exploration of Southern food heritage, and that “the cooks of colonial, federal era and antebellum kitchens and enslaved people’s cabins be honored for their unique role in giving the Southland her mother cuisine. It is important that we not only honor the Ancestors but provide a lifeline to contemporary communities and people of color looking for a better life in the new economy, a way out of the health and chronic illness crisis, and a way to reduce the vast food deserts that plague many of our communities.”
In the panel discussion, which was held outside under a tree, Twitty talked about how “culinary justice” is an act of honoring the food past and providing for the food future.” He shared stories about his grandmother cooking, and how he learned about food by being a “taster” in the kitchen.
The event was part The Southern Discomfort Tour, which is Twitty’s current project where he visits sites of cultural memory, does presentations on his journey, and visits places critical to his family history while conducting genealogical and genetic research to discover his roots and food heritage.
So far the tour has gone from Maryland to Louisiana, and you can read more about it on his blog “The Cooking Gene,” which documents the tour.
Twitty has had recent fame due to a tweet and letter that he wrote after a scandal erupted over Paula Dean’s use of a raciel epithet. His “Open Letter to Deen” was published on The Huffington Post ( huff.to/14sIyEE) anad addressed the little-acknowledged black role in creating Southern cuisine, and with reconciliation, and closed with the invitation for Deen to come cook with him at Stagville.
I can report that Deen was not at the event at the Stagville site.
Links:
The Cooking Gene – the Southern Discomfort Tour
Afroculinaria Blog – Michael Twitty