As I am two weeks away from the release of my new RJ Franklin seris, TRAVELLIN ‘ SHOES, which includes soul food recipes, I’ve been thinking a lot about food…soul food. Well, I think about food a lo anywayt, especially when I’m dieting (darn those Weight Watcher points). However, I wanted to talk about what exactly is soul food.
I grew up in northwestern Indiana in the 60’s and 70’s. Yeah, that’s me. That big thing I’m holding is called a telephone. Almost every home had one. It had a cord and…well, never mind.
During that time, the United States was dealing with civil rights, Vietnam, and equal rights for women (hard to believe civil and equality are still issues more than fifty years later). The 70s was an interesting time of Peace, Love and SOOOOUL (bonus points if you recognize this reference). Soul was used to describe everything from music to food to…well, people. However, for me, soul food was not just a piece of heritage or tradition; it was a part of my daily life. If you asked me to define soul food, I’m not sure I could do it. So, I turned to dictionary (well, Wikipedia anyway).
Soul food is a variety of cuisine that comes from traditional Southeastern United States.[citation needed][undue weight? – discuss] It is common in areas with a history of slave-based plantations and has maintained popularity among the Black American and American Deep-South “cotton state” communities for centuries; it is now the most common regional cuisine in major southern cities such as New Orleans, Louisiana, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Atlanta, Georgia. Soul food influences can be commonly found as far north as Richmond, Virginia, as far east as Jacksonville, Florida, and as far west as Houston, Texas (past which southwestern/Mexican cuisine becomes the cuisine of choice). The term “Soul Food” may have originated in the mid-1960s, when soul was a common word used to describe Black American culture (for example, soul music). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_food)
My parents were both from the “cotton states” of the south (my dad is from Tennessee and my mom was from Alabama). So, I grew up eating foods that were common among all races in the south, but were mostly consumed by African Americans up north, at least in my little corner of Indiana. As a child, I remember trying to explain what sweet potato pie and collard greens were to a classmate. Now that I live in the south, I don’t have to explain. 
The items I once called soul food, are available in most restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner (I once got a chicken biscuit with collard greens for breakfast…don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it). Soul food was the cuisine I grew up eating and it is an important part of the African American experience which evolved from the slave heritage. Let’s start with a little history.
The National Park Service provides a document, A 19th Century Slave Diet, which was compiled from the autobiographical writings of Booker T. Washington, The Story of My Life and Work and Up from Slavery based on his life as a slave on the Burrough’s Plantation in Franklin County, Virginia in the 1800s. Through Booker T. Washington’s writing and that from archaeologists, much can be learned about the slave diets that led to what we refer to as soul food. Archaeologists have discovered that pigs and cows were the meats most slaves consumed. Needless to say, the best cuts of meat were not given to slaves, but were eaten by the owners. Slaves were either given the less desirable byproducts or they took the portions that would otherwise have been discarded. Owners would have eaten things like sausage, bacon, and ham. The pigs’ feet, ears, tail and intestines (we’ll come back to this one later) would have been discarded. However, these resourceful (and hungry) slaves took those parts of the hog and figured out how to prepare them so they were tasty (if you like that sort of thing). Excavations show slaves supplemented the rations given by their owners with “wild species such as opossum, raccoon, snapping turtle, deer, squirrel, duck, and rabbit….Other excavations include oyster shells, lead fishing weights, fishhooks, and fish bones and scales. Traces of walnuts, grapes, blackberries, and hickory nuts have also been found as evidence of what would be part of a slave diet.”
One example of how slaves took scraps and made something delicious, is turnip greens. Turnip greens were the leaves from turnip plants. Slaves prepared turnips for the owners and instead of throwing away the leaves, they figured out a way to prepare them for consumption. They learned to season the greens with salt pork and cooked them with the grease saved from frying bacon (because well… bacon.). The end result is a slightly bitter vegetable that is quite delicious when cooked properly. If there’s a Cracker Barrel near you, they serve turnip greens. Give them a try (lots of people sprinkle a little vinegar on them or hot sauce or both).
Remember that part earlier about pig’s small intestines….yep, I’m serious; people eat them. It’s called “chitterlings,” (pronounced chitlins). I’ll be honest, I’ve never eaten them. Chitterlings require a LOT of cleaning (preferably in a well ventilated room), with rubber gloves, a stiff brush and a strong constitution. They’re sold in the grocery store (yep, check it out in the meat department). I’ve heard you can buy them pre-washed, however, I strongly recommend you don’t rely on that, but be prepared to wash them again (and again if you value your health). Once you’ve smelled them in the cleaning process, you may not want to eat them (I can’t do it). However, I have friends who LOVE them.
Just as music is unique, so too is soul food; blues from New Orleans isn’t the same as blues from Chicago or St. Louis. Soul food is unique to the region as well as to the individuals who have perfected their recipes through the years. No two pieces of sweet potato pie will taste the same. Each cook will put their own unique spin on a recipe. Even with its differences, soul food has a certain taste. You may not be able to put your finger on one specific ingredient or cooking technique that makes something soulful, but trust me, you’ll know it when you taste.Curious, check out some of the recipes in the back of Travellin’ Shoes. You may just find something that speaks to your soul.