Celebrating Black History Month from a Food Perspective

February is Black History Month.  What better time to think about the historical contributions made by Black Americans to food in America? There are a countless number of talented Black American chefs, including  G. Gavin, Gina Neely, Joe Randall and Kevin Sbraga who are adding to the rich culinary experience available in the United States.  Let's take a look at some of the contributions Black Americans have made to the American culinary tradition.

The cultural influence of Blacks in American cuisine began with the food and agricultural practices brought directly to the US by slaves. The first successful cultivation of rice in the New World was accomplished from rice seeds imported directly fromMadagascar in 1685, with African slaves providing the labor and technical expertise for this new crop industry. Many ingredients heavily associated with the South, black-eyed peas, sesame, watermelon, sweet potatoes, okra and peanuts, were brought directly to the United States by slaves. These crops found their way into American food culture and became some of the ingredients found in the earliest cookbooks written by Americans from the Southern states. Even the cooking technique of deep frying originated in Africa before the day of reliable refrigeration, Blacks understood how deep frying could preserve the foods for some time.

Our modern day beef industry owes much to the early Black Americans. The Fula people from Senegambia were brought to South Carolina in 1731, along with longhorn cattle. These expert cattlemen were responsible for introducing the husbandry patterns of open grazing that are still practiced throughout the American cattle industry today.

A discussion of food and Black History Month would not be complete without a reference to George Washington Carver (1864-1943), who was born into slavery and became a premier American food scientist, botanist, educator and inventor. One of his most notable achievements was his research and promotion of alternative crops to cotton, such as sweet potatoes and peanuts, thus helping the economy of the Reconstruction-era South. His research created over 100 household and farm products made from ordinary peanuts.

Less well known in the area of food science was Lloyd Hall (1894-1971), a Black chemist from Elgin, IL who developed over 59 US patents in the area of food preservation.  Lloyd Hall is responsible for many of the meat curing products, seasonings, emulsions, bakery products, antioxidants, protein hydrolysates, and other substances that keep our food fresh and flavorful.



Edna Lewis (1916-2006), the granddaughter of an emancipated slave, was born in a small farming settlement in Virginia. In 1949, she opened a restaurant called Café Nicholson in New York City, where she introduced delicious food from her Virginia childhood. Her restaurant became an instant success and was frequented by William Faulkner, Marlon Brando, Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Marlene Dietrich After breaking her leg, Edna was forced to temporarily stop cooking professionally. She spent her recovery time turning her handwritten recipes into The Edna Lewis Cookbook which was followed by The Taste of Country Cooking. Her second cookbook is considered a classic study of Southern cooking. Craig Claiborne of The New York Times said the book “may well be the most entertaining regional cookbook in America.” Her easy Southern style and cookbooks have  influenced and inspired countless young chefs.

Our American cuisine owes much of its diversity to the contributions of Black Americans throughout history, from rice and sweet potatoes, to the economics of cattle ranching, to deep frying and cured meats. Without these contributions our food tradition would be lacking many of its iconic selections, including my personal favorite gumbo!