As stated in the very beginning, soul food is a tradition that holds true to the identity of what it means to be black. The term ‘Soul food’ originated in the south during the civil rights movement of the mid1960s. The term ‘soul’ was commonly used in black culture, such as “soul music,” “soul men,” etc. The style of soul food derived from the African American slavery background. Slave owners had total control of the amount of food that my enslaved ancestors received. Their diets consisted of fishing, foraging, hunting, gardening, and raising livestock all with the farming knowledge that was passed down from West Africa, and new knowledge shared by their European slavers.
You would think that things changed for the better for blacks after slavery. Unfortunately, we all know that’s not the case. After years of slavery, my ancestors went through years of oppression, segregation, degradation, abuse, and unequal rights. In the end the whole facade of ’40 acres and a mule’ was just another …show more content…
After years of debt and racism/oppression, millions of African Americans moved north for the opening of job opportunities, in result to WWI. Cities became flooded with black migrants that settled into crowded apartment buildings that had inadequate cooking facilities. Which made home cooking a challenge for most. Fortunately, relief organizations, restaurants, street vendors, and urban black churches were there to meet the needs of the hungry. After WWII, things started to look up for African Americans. They begin to move into houses with yard spaces and kitchens with income to buy groceries.
The 1960s was a time were soul food became mainstream that held strong expressions on black cultural identity and economic and political power. Soul food became recognized for its culinary, cultural, and marketing appeal and simply thought of it as a new label for the best home cooking passed down through
You would think that things changed for the better for blacks after slavery. Unfortunately, we all know that’s not the case. After years of slavery, my ancestors went through years of oppression, segregation, degradation, abuse, and unequal rights. In the end the whole facade of ’40 acres and a mule’ was just another …show more content…
After years of debt and racism/oppression, millions of African Americans moved north for the opening of job opportunities, in result to WWI. Cities became flooded with black migrants that settled into crowded apartment buildings that had inadequate cooking facilities. Which made home cooking a challenge for most. Fortunately, relief organizations, restaurants, street vendors, and urban black churches were there to meet the needs of the hungry. After WWII, things started to look up for African Americans. They begin to move into houses with yard spaces and kitchens with income to buy groceries.
The 1960s was a time were soul food became mainstream that held strong expressions on black cultural identity and economic and political power. Soul food became recognized for its culinary, cultural, and marketing appeal and simply thought of it as a new label for the best home cooking passed down through