Black Food – Beyond Soul Food

More than just a cookbook, Black Food bears witness to a vital culinary culture

- By Jacqueline Simmons

I thought I knew Black food—collard greens with ham hocks, cornbread, okra, yams, chitterlings, biscuits. These were staples at family gatherings, big and small, when I was growing up. But sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know. Reading Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes From Across the African Diaspora, I discovered the genesis of my food culture, which, like blues music, finds its roots in African tradition, migration, and, yes, suffering.