Organic Post: Soul Food

Miara Bonner

Whether bringing together a family of four at a dinner table or reuniting long lost relatives at a family reunion, soul food is one of the many cultural standouts within the black community. Dating back to the time of segregation and Jim Crow Laws, soul food has demonstrated the difference between "black cooking" and "white cooking". Nonetheless, many of the various dishes and ingredients included in "soul food" are regional meals, strongly influenced by the south's "twang". Furthermore, despite the many foods that soul food is composed of, there are five that stand out the most.

1. Fried Chicken

CRUNCH! This is the sound that you hear after biting into a sizzling piece of fried chicken. With its seasoned skin and tender meat, fried chicken deems to be one of the most well known entrees associated with African American culture.

2. Mac and Cheese

If it ain't cheesy, you ain't doing something right! Whether cut up in squares or scooped up from a bowl, you will catch macaroni and cheese as a side at any soul food dinner. Cooked during any time of the year, especially holidays, mac and cheese can bring together even the most difficult of family members.

3. Collard Greens

Many people despise vegetables at the dinner table. However, collard greens are more than just vegetables. They are what brings a "countrified" meal together. Whether cooked by themselves, or soaked in bacon grease with bacon fat, the salty, yet delicious greens are high blood pressure in a bowl.

4. Candied Yams

Baked with brown sugar and marshmallows, candied yams are diabetes in a pan at any soul food dinner. Served especially during holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, yams can substitute for any dessert.

5. Cornbread

Baked to satisfy, cornbread is a sweet and crunchy substitute for a slice of white bread or a roll.

Furthermore, these are five of my favorite soul foods. Raised in a small town in Durham, North Carolina, I have been introduced to many other delicious foods that could have made the list including: Banana Pudding, BBQ Ribs, and white rice. However, the five listed foods stand out the most in many African American homes.