CLEVELAND, Ohio — Juneteenth is a national holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States during the Civil War. The holiday is a time to reflect on our country’s history regarding slavery. It’s also has become a time to celebrate Black culture. For foodies, one of the easiest (and tastiest) ways to do that is through soul food.
Soul food typically refers to Southern cuisine rooted in dishes created and passed down by African Americans during the period of slavery. However, many of the dishes have roots in African history.
“They didn’t come here in a vacuum. They come here with culture, and that included a food culture,” Noël Voltz, an assistant professor of history at Case Western Reserve University, said of enslaved people in the U.S.
For example, many people from West Africa were brought to the U.S. as slaves to cultivate rice in the U.S. They brought the skills and knowledge to grow rice to the U.S., which became the base of dishes like jambalaya and red beans and rice.
“This is a direct West African food that within the slavery contex, enslaved peoples are producing for profit for owners, but also are consuming,” Voltz explained. “And they’re trying to make it something that represents them and they enjoy.”
Other soul food staples, like okra, come with a similar story. It’s difficult to list every “dish” that’s considered soul food. Gumbo and jambalaya are soul food staples from Louisiana while in other parts of the South, common dishes include smothered pork chops, fried fish, cornbread, collard greens and beyond. Desserts like banana pudding and peach cobbler also can’t be forgotten.
Akin Affrica, the owner of Zanzibar Soul Fusion, Cleveland Breakfast Club and more, also recognizes that soul food was created out of necessity that has evolved throughout time.
“Something that came out of just sheer necessity and creativity for survival. And just so happened it’s a beautiful cuisine,” Affrica explained.
Affrica feels lucky that he can trace his family tree back three generations. He comes from a family of great chefs who have owned several soul food restaurants over the years, including his mother Angie of Angie’s Soul Cafe.
“I’m blessed to have a direct connection to my roots. I can follow my generations down to the plantation and even before then.,” Akin explained.
Meat is a big part of soul food, with chicken and pork being the main sources of protein. Ham hocks, chitterlings (pig intestines), oxtail, pig feet and more are a few examples.
“Things that were traditionally could be seen as thrown away pieces,” Voltz explained. Folks would utilize different cooking techniques to tenderize tough cuts and plenty of seasonings to make them taste delicious.
Chitterlings or chitlins, for example, is a food Affrica grew up eating. It used to be a cheap and easy snack. Now, he’s seen versions of it in high-end restaurants selling for top dollar. When Angie’s offers preorders for chitterlings when available, the dish almost always sells out quickly.
“It’s not just about survival and the story of making something out of nothing – it truly becomes an art form,” Voltz said of the cooking style.
Voltz also pointed out that while soul food is delicious, it can be lacking in nutritional aspects. Many Black communities already deal with food insecurity issues like food deserts. It’s also no secret that soul food is inherently not comprised of “healthy” dishes. Overall, it’s important to balance honoring Black culture through soul food with the need to prioritize the health and wellness of Black communities.
Even though soul food has its roots in the South, it spread across the U.S. during the Great Migration period of Black folks leaving the South for the North and other parts of the nation. Voltz explains there were two waves of migration – between the 1910s and 1920s and from the 1940s to 1970s. It was decades of Black people establishing communities in new-to-them regions.
“But they’re taking their culture with them. And one of those aspects of culture is food,” Voltz said. “We also have to remember that they’re bringing memories and they’re bringing an attempt to hold on to the things that are important to them and their family.”
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The process of making soul food is inherent to the Black experience. The cuisine was cultivated in Black homes by Black families. Many people harken back to their grandmother’s recipes for mac and cheese or cornbread, declaring it the best, because it’s what they grew up eating.
“In cooking and preparing those recipes, you are honoring her and remembering her. It’s something that moves through families,” Voltz said.
Additionally, many African Americans were shunted into service industry jobs in the 20th century. Working as a chef was one of the few jobs that Black women were allowed to have at the time.
“Frankly, if Black women are preparing foods in white homes, as they were a lot in the mid-20th century, they’re going to be preparing food that they know,” Voltz added. “So it’s going to create like a webbed palette for African Americans – what we now call soul food”
Affrica credits his mom with helping to bring a mom-and-pop soul food restaurant to Cleveland. Before opening Angie’s Soul Cafe, she was the chef at the famous Carnegie Hotel downtown, which was a hub for Black culture in the area.
And even before there was a local dining scene for soul food, it was traditionally eaten in homes across Northeast Ohio.
“My mother was one of the ones on the forefront to make it readily available,” Affrica said
Since the days of slavery in the U.S., soul food has evolved. It’s moved out of Black homes and Black communities into the mainstream dining scene. Voltz pointed out that fancy soul food restaurants are now common, and they may or may not be Black-owned businesses.
“It’s really in some ways sad to see how it’s been so removed from the Black community in that regard and mass-produced,” Voltz added. “It also can become a situation where the food culture is being appropriated
On the flip side, evolutions like vegan soul food show that the cuisine can keep up with the culture, she added.
Affrica believes soul food recipes are important to honor and pass down because it’s a cuisine that truly belongs to Black Americans.
“It’s not just important for Cleveland it’s important for the world,” Affrica said.”Especially for the United States because it’s a real cuisine. It’s based on recipes that were born and created with African Americans that you can’t find anywhere else.”
Additionally, after decades of serving people soul food, Affrica believes that customers have a different kind of appreciation for it than other types of cuisine.
“The food resonates with them in a different way,” Affrica said. He added that it typically conjures up memories of family or friends, which adds to the experience.
Affrica hopes to continue to see the soul food scene in Northeast Ohio grow.
“I’m going to be at the center of it for the rest of my life and hopefully somebody in my family will continue to pick up the baton and run with it,” Affrica said. Angie’s isn’t going anywhere, Zanzibar isn’t going anywhere.”
Even though soul food was born out of slavery, it’s far from the only way to describe it. The cuisine wasn’t all about survival and making food that was palatable out of scraps.
“Oftentimes we think of slavery as an oppressive system, and it absolutely was. It’s this horrible and brutal system,” Voltz explained. “But there are ways in which enslaved people still tried to experience pleasure and joy and love and family and maintain those things. And I think food becomes an avenue for that.”
Alex Darus writes about food, dining and drinking for Cleveland.com, check out her latest posts here. You can reach her with story ideas at adarus@cleveland.com. Follow her on Instagram @alex_darus.
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