What we eatin’? Well, that depends on where your people are from, right? This is true for Black people in the United States, too. Our food has regionalism, with delicacies that are more popular in some places than others.
For example, most of my family hails from Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama, the interior South. So, on New Year’s, it was chitlins, never hopping John.
Leading scholars say there are four regions of African-American cuisine: The Creole Corridor, Tidewater, The Black Belt, and The Lowcountry. That’s what this article is about.
But before I get into the meat of it, a caveat. This is just one way of looking at Black Food in the US. And there are aspects of Black food that don’t fit neatly into this rubric.
You have Edna Lewis, one of the premiere Black chefs of the 20th century, who is writing from Virginia. Part of Virginia is in the Tidewater area. But Miss Edna is in Freetown, where the Appalachian mountains begin.
You have Malinda Russell, who wrote the first cookbook by an African American woman. She is also writing about the food she knew from the Appalachians but in the 19th century.
You also have James Hemmings, the man largely credited with creating American-style Mac and cheese. He was living and working in Monticello, not 20 miles from where Edna Lewis would. Again, this is in the Appalachians, but just in the 17th century.
Given this, maybe you could make a case about this culinary region. There are so many important influences on Black food from this region. And the food reflects the difference in climate.
Some lump this region in with the Tidewater. Others don´t address it all. But you can’t deny the contributions from this region.
Maybe there is also an argument for calling out the Black food around the Mississippi River as well. That’s how fried catfish entered the lexicon. They also gave us Memphis barbecue.
With time, I´m sure our understanding of Black food will grow. And these regions might change with them. But for now, this is how most scholars break it down.
Creole Corridor
The Creole Corridor, includes Louisiana, New Orleans, and the Gulf Coast, blends French, Spanish, African, and Native American influences. Creole cuisine, in particular, is known for its complex spice blends, use of seafood, and iconic dishes like gumbo and jambalaya.
Creole cuisine originated in New Orleans, where the city’s port brought in a mix of European settlers, enslaved Africans, and immigrants from the Caribbean. African Americans, both enslaved and free, played a crucial role in shaping Creole cooking by blending their food traditions with those of French and Spanish colonists.
Cities in the Creole Corridor
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Lafayette, Louisiana
- Mobile, Alabama
- Biloxi, Mississippi
Key Ingredients
- Seafood: Crawfish, shrimp, oysters, and crabs are abundant in this region’s waters.
- Rice: As in the Lowcountry, rice is a staple ingredient, appearing in numerous Creole dishes.
- Bell peppers, onions, celery: Known as the “holy trinity” of Creole cooking, these three vegetables are the base for many dishes.
- Spices: Bold seasonings like cayenne, paprika, and filé powder (ground sassafras) define the cuisine’s characteristic flavors.
Notable Dishes
- Gumbo: A thick stew made with seafood or chicken, often served over rice.
- Jambalaya: A rice dish seasoned with sausage, seafood, and tomatoes, similar to Spanish paella.
- Gumbo Z´herbes: traditional Louisiana gumbo that is based on loads of greens such as collards, kale, turnip greens and spinach.
Notable People
Leah Chase is known as the queen of Creole cuisine. She was the owner and operator of Dooky Chase for seven decades. This restaurant, in the Tremé neighborhood in New Orleans, was a center for organizing during the Civil Rights Movement. Check out my red gravy recipe that is based on hers.
The Black Belt
If you think of the celebration plate– fried chicken, collard greens with pork and cornbread– this is where it comes from. You could also sub out the chicken for fried river fish.
This region is large, covering most of the interior south, from the Mississippi River to just alongside the Atlantic coast. From Arkansas to the Carolinas and down to just before you reach the Gulf Coast.
This region had the most Black people before emancipation. So during the Great Migration, this is the food that was most transported across the country. That’s why many of these dishes are known as soul food today.
The region has been home to some of the country’s most important developments in African-American culture in general and food culture specifically. The area was central to cotton production during slavery, and African Americans worked in agriculture, developing recipes that used humble, readily available ingredients like cornmeal, pork, and greens. Many of these recipes evolved into the soul food dishes that people eat across the country and the world.
Key Ingredients
- Pork: From ribs to ham hocks and chitterlings, pork is a key protein.
- Cornmeal: Used in everything from cornbread to fried fish coatings.
- Greens: Collard, mustard, and turnip greens, often cooked with pork, are a staple side dish.
Notable Dishes
- Barbecue & Smoked meats, especially pork, play a central role. Think Memphis-style barbecue.
- Fried Catfish: Freshwater catfish and other fish, dredged in cornmeal and fried.
- Collard Greens: These greens are slow-cooked with ham hocks or bacon, flavored with vinegar, and served alongside meats and cornbread.
The Lowcountry
The Lowcountry region of the Southern United States, particularly in South Carolina, Georgia, and Northern Florida. Rooted in the history of the enslaved Black folk working on rice plantations, Lowcountry cuisine is shaped by the region’s coastal geography and access to abundant seafood and rice. It is also sometimes called the Carolina Rice Kitchen or the Gulluah-Geechee Corridor.
The history of Lowcountry cuisine is intertwined with the Gullah-Geechee people, descendants of enslaved Black folks brought to the region. Due to the isolation of the sea islands along the coast, the Gullah-Geechee people were able to retain more of their African culture and culinary traditions than some other African-American communities.
Their foodways, heavily reliant on rice cultivation, influenced the development of many key dishes in the Lowcountry. Rice cultivation was introduced to the Americas by enslaved Africans, who grew their own indigenous varieties of rice on the African continent before being stolen.
Cities in Lowcountry
- Charleston, South Carolina
- Savannah, Georgia
- Jacksonville, Florida
- Beaufort, South Carolina
- Historical Background
Key Ingredients
- Rice (especially Carolina Gold): The Lowcountry was one of the major rice-growing regions in the United States, and Carolina Gold rice remains a staple.
- Seafood: Shrimp, crabs, oysters, and fish are abundant due to the coastal environment.
- Okra: Brought over from Africa, okra is used in stews, soups, and gumbos.
- Benne seeds: These sesame-like seeds were introduced by enslaved Africans and are used in both sweet and savory dishes.
Notable Dishes
- Shrimp and Grits: A signature dish of the region, shrimp and grits reflect the marriage of coastal seafood and stone-ground grits.
- Red Rice: This dish, made with tomatoes, rice, and spices, draws clear parallels to West African jollof rice.
- Hoppin’ John: A New Year’s favorite, this dish of black-eyed peas and rice symbolizes good luck and has roots in African cooking traditions.
Tidewater
In the Tidewater region, including Virginia, the Chesapeake Bay and a small part of North Carolina, the Black folk created a diverse and seafood-rich cuisine. Influenced by the early settlers of Virginia and the enslaved Black folk brought to the area in the 1600s, Tidewater cuisine combines Native American foodways with African-American ingenuity and the culinary traditions of the early colonists.
The Tidewater area was one of the earliest points of contact between Native Americans, Europeans, and enslaved Africans. The region’s foodways reflect this complex history, with dishes that feature seafood, wild game, and agricultural products like corn and sweet potatoes.
Cities
- Washington, D.C.: While politically distinct, Washington, D.C. is geographically part of the Tidewater region, and its cuisine reflects the influence of both Chesapeake Bay seafood and Southern food traditions.
- Norfolk, Virginia: A major city in the Tidewater region, known for its proximity to Chesapeake Bay and seafood-heavy cuisine.
- Virginia Beach, Virginia: Another important Tidewater city with a strong seafood tradition.
- Richmond, Virginia: Virginia’s capital, combining elements of Tidewater and Southern food cultures.
- Hampton, Virginia: Historically important in Tidewater culture, known for seafood like oysters and crabs.
- Newport News, Virginia: A Chesapeake Bay city with a focus on fresh, local seafood.
- Roanoke, Virginia: Part of the Appalachian region, Roanoke reflects the blend of mountain and Tidewater culinary traditions.
Key Ingredients
- Blue crabs and oysters: The Chesapeake Bay is famous for its seafood, especially blue crabs and oysters.
- Pork: Cured hams, like Virginia’s famous Smithfield Ham, are central to the region’s cuisine.
- Corn: Native Americans introduced corn to the early settlers, and it remains a key ingredient.
- Sweet potatoes: A staple in Tidewater cooking, used in both savory dishes and desserts.
Notable Dishes
- Crab Cakes: A signature Tidewater dish made from fresh blue crab meat, seasoned, and fried or broiled.
- Smithfield Ham: Salt-cured ham from Virginia, often served thinly sliced with biscuits or as part of a larger dish.
- Fried Oysters
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