Cookbooks for Black History Month | Kitchen to Kitchen

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In February, I set time aside to delve into African American history. 

Often, it’s harrowing, like last year reading “Caste” by Isabel Wilkerson. 

But I take it up because it’s an opportunity to step out of myself and walk in another’s shoes. This year, I’m reading cookbooks that look at the history of black culture through the lens of food. 

No. 1 “The Taste of Country Cooking” by Edna Lewis

Edna Lewis (April 13, 1916-Feb. 13, 2006) was a renowned American chef, teacher, and author who helped to educate our view of Southern cooking. She’s one of my food goddesses, who promoted the use of fresh, in season ingredients — especially greens. In “The Taste of Country Cooking,” (1976) she captures my heart, bringing together both recipes and stories of her early food life.  

It’s a cooking biography detailing Lewis’s childhood in Freetown, Virginia. It describes cooking through the seasons — the fresh taste of spring, the first wild strawberries, field greens and salads. The feasts of summer, the harvests of fall. There’s a quality to the writing which is both matter-of-fact and lyrical. If you like history, cooking and tales of remarkable people, then this book is for you.

No. 2 “Jubilee: Recipes from two centuries of African American Cooking” by Tony Tipton-Martin

Tipton-Martin is the current editor of “Cook’s Country”; an award-winning cookbook author and chronicler of African-American culinary culture. She’s written the Jemima Code, and most recently “Jubilee,” a James Beard Award-winning cookbook that collects 200 hundred years’ worth of African American recipes and the stories behind them. 

“Jubilee” tells the stories of urban enclaves in Los Angeles, Louisiana kitchens, Civil War plantations, West African villages. Reading it stirred my imagination, while deepening my understanding of African American culinary achievement. Filled with mouthwatering recipes, it engages all the senses. I want to cook the Savannah Pickled Shrimp and the Sweet Potato Mango Cake.

No. 3 “The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South” by Michael W. Twitty 

Michael W. Twitty is a culinary historian focusing on the foodways of Africa and enslaved African Americans. You can find out more about him on his blog, Afroculinaria. 

“The Cooking Gene” is a passionate book, although it wandered. Despite this, it’s worth the effort. Twitty wanted to learn more about his family history via the foods they ate, and the social, political and economic issues they faced. I found his investigations into African foodways and traditions interesting. He took a DNA test to determine the areas his ancestors were from; then used this information to reconstruct recipes they may have eaten. 

All three authors use cooking to delve into the human condition, and I’m excited to see how they’ve broadened the genre of the cookbook. They allow us to better understand the values of the cultures they’re writing about. Cooking is a living experience, and the recipes in these books are an invitation to try out new dishes in our home kitchens. 

Sweet Potato Casserole

Serves 6-8 

A sweet potato casserole that will bring everyone into the kitchen wondering what smells so good. 

INGREDIENTS 

2 cups mashed sweet potato, one large sweet potato  

1 can classic unsweetened coconut milk (13.5 ounces) 

½ cup brown sugar or 1 teaspoon monk fruit powder for a sugar free recipe  

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

½ teaspoon whole allspice berries, ground

¼ teaspoon black peppercorns, ground

1 tablespoon fresh ginger paste 

3 eggs

TOPPING

1 cup pecans (cashews are another option) 

1 cup dates, chopped

1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

2 teaspoons vanilla extract  

DIRECTIONS 

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter a deep dish pie pan.  

Using a food processor or Vitamix, pulse the pecans, dates, coconut and vanilla together into a coarse meal. Set aside. 

Using a spice or coffee grinder, grind the dry spices together. Add sweet potato, coconut milk, sugar, salt, spices and eggs to the food processor or Vitamix and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into the pie pan set on a baking sheet to catch drips. Sprinkle the topping over the top. Bake the casserole until set — about 45 minutes. Note: Cover the casserole with foil or a large metal bowl after the first 15 minutes. Remove the foil or bowl for the last 10 minutes. 

Serve warm or cold. 

(Sidonie Maroon, abluedotkitchen.com, is culinary educator for The Food Co-op. Kitchen to Kitchen is sponsored by The Food Co-op. Find more of Sidonie’s recipes at www.foodcoop.coop/blog/)