According to the 1840 United States Census, one out of every four families in Virginia owned slaves. There were many African grown crops that traveled along the slave ship with slaves. It was put into a large wooden tray or trough, and set down upon the ground. Practically speaking, slaveholders contended with the loss of plantation stores and risked unruly behavior resulting from unregulated rum. When does spring start? The sugar was then shipped back to Europe. Growing up on Sapelo Island, Georgia, Cornelia Walker Bailey never thought of red peas as anything special. Please be respectful of copyright. You can even change up the collards for other greens like Swiss chard, kale, mustard greens, and cabbage. I delivered the talk to an audience of 30 at the Maier Museum of Art in Lynchburg, Virginia. All rights reserved, Culinary historian and author Jessica Harris. 5 0 obj What documentation exists of what rations slaveholders provided is typically from later periods, but it would be in their own interest to ensure that their labor force was well-nourished enough to work effectively. \ .2LE_mm5!aq e2z(~i+Lj4 +a,bN^e8w)q~A0*,A|EncL&L3upPm4Y]}R"XNeFWeoN;N&hS3LW0Km]-+SNjzq"-b5m:-`v]zf6P5'm0t"~VK,Le-}9r"v What Farms did slaves work on? - Studybuff Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press, 1979. In Bailey's family, the tiny red legume, with its thin, firm shell; creamy interior; and sweet, buttery flavor was just another staple she and her family planted, harvested, and cooked. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Rice is not native to the United States. Most sources agree that the slaves were generally expected to get by on what was left from the slaveholders larders, supplemented with what they could raise on their own, provided that their owners permitted it. These remnants, scant though they are, make it clear that enslaved cooks were central players in the birth of our nations cultural heritage. Learn how your comment data is processed. While it might be fun to think about boiled sweet potatoes and cornbread, we must also remember the dark truth of slavery. F. from the Cameron Papers, Letter from John and Ebenezer Pettigrew to Charles Pettigrew, October 3, 1795, Lenoir Family Papers Account of Corn, 1785, Business Invoice from the Cameron Papers, 1774, Fiddle Headed Teaspoon, late 1700s / early 1800s, Distilling Method for Corn Whiskey Lenoir Papers (1790s), Newspaper Advertisement from The Pennsylvania Gazette (Dec 5, 1771), Accounting Record of Spice Purchases for the Household of William Lenoir (May 30, 1772), Sunflower Oil Recipe and Mangel-Wurzel Cultivation, Financial Document The Lenoir Family Papers, Excerpt from A Tour in the United States of America, Blums Farmers and Planters Almanac for the year 1870, Star Brand Fertilizers Advertisement in The Danbury Reporter, Liquid standard presented to UNC in 1883, Planting Fruit Trees to Secure Success by Abigail Bowdish, The Bennehan Familys Sugar and Rum Purchases, Mary Ann Bryan Masons Mrs. Masons New Cookery. Hercules and Hemings were the nations first celebrity chefs, famous for their talents and skills. Contrary to the overwhelming image of the grand Southern plantation worked by hundreds of slaves, most agricultural units in the South up until about two decades before the Civil War were small . The journey from Africa across the Atlantic Ocean was called "the middle passage", and was one of the three legs which comprised the triangular trade among the continents of Europe, the Americas, and Africa. During the 19th century, there were moments of widespread fear that these cooks would poison them, and we know from court records and other documents that on at least a few occasions enslaved cooks did slip poisons like hemlock into their masters food. The Origins of 'slave food': Callaloo, Dumplings and Saltfish African rice often accompanied slave voyages. She is a doctoral student at the University of Georgia. But to openly wear or use purloined goods was to risk detection and punishment. In a large pot, bring to a boil: 6 cups (1 1/4 liter) chicken stock * It is also the story of countless unnamed cooks across the South, the details of their existences now lost. City newspapers noted the Army of the Potomacs unrelenting pressure on nearby Petersburg, but the sieges long familiarity muted the panic that dull roar might have incited only three years before. Again, simple preparation is likely to be the most authentic, and interviews with slaves of later periods[iv] indicate that they would simply wrap the sweet potatoes in leaves, place them in the coals and let them roast. Slaveholders lamented spending on alcohol most of all, complaining that it caused disorder on the plantation and hindered productivity, but memoirs, slave narratives, and court records indicate that rum and liquor were highly sought. Feeding the Slaves - Journal of the American Revolution Records from six antebellum stores across Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia indicate that enslaved consumers spent hard-earned cash on a wide variety of goods. The ingredients and recipes of this early African American cuisine include: rice, okra, sweet potatoes, corn, and greens. By forgetting enslaved cooks pain to soothe our own, we erase the pride and the achievements of countless brilliant cooks who nourished a nation. They created favorites like gumbo, an adaptation of a traditional West . If a traveler showed up, day or night, bells would ring for the enslaved cook to prepare food. The slaves made up 80% of the property value of the plantation. [1] Charles Ball, Fifty Years in Chains; or, the Life of an American Slave (1859), 129. . Your email address will not be published. I also love adding greens to stews like my West African Peanut Butter Curry Stew. In turn, we still enjoy many of the foods they embraced. Slave health on plantations in the United States - Wikipedia The primary challenge, Harris says, is reconstructing history when one group of peoplein this case, white slave ownersdid their best to subjugate Africans to the point where they were nearly left out entirely. For masters and bondpeople alike, the internal economy both challenged the institution of slavery and shored it up. Heat in a Dutch oven or other large pot with a cover: Shopping, then, entailed more than the acquisition of desired goods. In their limited personal time, enslaved people kept fruit and vegetable gardens, raised poultry, and foraged for wild plants. There were also many other crops that traveled as well such as watermelon, yams, guinea . This page was last edited on 11 October 2022, at 21:29. Susan McIntosh remembered that, in contrast to the coarse and rough shoes provided by her masters, she and her companions bought calico, muslin and good shoes, pants, coats and other nice things for their Sunday clothes.[4] In his 1859 autobiography, escaped slave Charles Ball described this process in more detail, elaborating spending priorities. Another ingredient that came from Africa was okra. Advertising Notice Guests wrote gushing missives about the meals in they ate while visiting these homes. Reckoning with it can be cumbersome, but its also necessary. Her essay derives from that book and her current book project Bonds Burst Asunder: The Revolutionary Politics of Getting By in Civil War and Emancipation, 18601867. Slaveholders had long debated the merits of granting small luxuries to their charges during the holiday seasonextra or special types of food, trinkets and accessories like ribbons or penknives, extra plugs of tobacco, or even drams of liquor. Wrap in foil: Describing holidays past, Esther Davis, a South Carolina planters daughter, recalled that in Camdens business district, those three days were given up to the negroes. Merchants angled for enslaved customers: the few stores that were open, were intended just for this trade and did a thriving business. Indeed, she noted, the foundations of some small fortunes were laid in those same small stores with their stocks of hardware, crockery, beads and brass jewelry, calico and bandana handkerchiefs, candy, etc. [6], Much of what we know about slave spending is anecdotal, but scattered ledgers from rural stores and outposts provide a glimpse of what and how slaves consumed. This is an example of the many ways in which word of mouth and early forms of media were used to spread false information to convince Americans to sit back and allow the continuation of slavery. 25 Slaves often gardens grew sweet potatoes in their gardens, utilizing skills that African Americans passed down from generation to generation. The seeds of the 1969 UNC food service worker strike. Some even went out of their way to place money in enslaved peoples hands. Still others imagined that allowing slaves the ability to spend money as they chose might make up for restrictions in other parts of their lives. David Shields, a professor at the University of South Carolina in Columbia and an expert in early American literature and food revivals, points to Emeline Jones as an example. How did this mountain lion reach an uninhabited island? Despite the newspapers warnings, white Southerners could not have been surprised to see enslaved buyers browsing goods for sale. What Did Slaves Eat? - Cooking Tom 2. In Nigeria, the Igbo people made a practice of burying their root vegetables to store them for long periods of time. Purchased clothes were garish and gaudy, they scoffed. Life on the plantation - The captives' experience and resistance to Mahatma Gandhi's investigation of indigo workers' claims of exploitation led to the passage of the Champaran Agrarian Bill in 1917 by the Government of India. What did slaves eat in the 1800s? - Quora This secret hole was hidden from plantation owners. "Black people have been in the room, but for so long they were so good at being invisible" that they were easy to leave out of the historical record, Harris says. What the Slaves Ate. Honor that past with gratitude and unity. All the plantation system had a form of slavery in its establishment, slaves were initially forced to be labors to the plantation system, these slaves were primarily native Indians, but the system was later extended to include slaves shipped from Africa. Worse, they did not know the value of a dollar, allowing vendors to take advantage of their lack of consumer savvy. This cornbread was crumbled into the bottom of the bowl to soak up the last bits of savory flavor. Culinary historian and author Jessica Harris says food traditions hold symbols and meaning that serve as a historical roadmap. Some indentured servants were also leaving to . The children were then called, like so many pigs, and like so many pigs they would come and devour the mush; some with oyster-shells, others with pieces of shingle, some with naked hands, and none with spoons.. The sweet potato, indigenous to North America, is quite similar in texture and appearance (to the point that many modern cooks have trouble distinguishing them), and its believed that slaves simply used them just as they had yams in Africa.[iii]. 9 'Facts' About Slavery They Don't Want You to Know Serve in slices, or mash it up with a little salt. Our work has been featured by the New York Times, TIME magazine, History Channel, Discovery Channel, Smithsonian, Mental Floss, NPR, and more. Life was harsh for enslaved people, and as a result, many people resisted slavery through. B@k E0ZCl#a=y/%7rpVV{@h`zh-IFOVdRi9~ijt4z{;)'B1[tK [2R-mLhLCdF4jXp01]'7 *J0TzH}1dhl0&v7oN\"7nHi g r#H]lxVooIH*m'z!doXZ@WJFpDm;zr~ozJZ@Q,@|]4cv This is nowhere more apparent than in slaves purchase of that most precious and intangible commodity, freedom. [8] A. T. Goodloe, Management of Negroes, Southern Cultivator, 18 (1860), 130. These were compiled by slaveholding women, whose responsibilities sat firmly in the domestic sphere, and are now housed in historical societies throughout the country. Enslaved cooks brought this cuisine its unique flavors, adding ingredients such as hot peppers, peanuts, okra, and greens. [9] Goodloe, Management of Negroes, 13031; James M. Towns, Management of Negroes, Southern Cultivator, 9 (1851), 86. theamericanhistorian@oah.org, 2023 Organization of American Historians, Masters, Slaves, and Exchange: Power's Purchase in the Old South. ". 8LX But as the green, finger-shaped vegetable pops up on menus across the United States as an emblem of southern American cooking, the true narrative of the plant is at risk of disappearing, Harris says, speaking at a recent conference on food culture and history at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro. What did plantation slaves eat? - All Famous Faqs In urban and rural areas alike, storekeepers petitioned local legislatures to expand trade hours to promote slave shopping, especially during the Christmas season. 30. Food not only brings us together in our current communities. They lived in the kitchen, sleeping upstairs above the hearth during the winters, and outside come summertime. But now, the Examiner and the Whig warned, auctioneers patter announced something else entirely, another symptom of the breaking down of the barriers that, until this war, kept the negro in his proper sphere. Enslaved men and women had taken to gathering at the auctions, using grossly improper language in the presence of, and even to, white women. Worse, ladies and gentlemen at auctions [were] forced to bid in competition with bondpeople, men and women who audaciously monopolize[d] the most eligible positions and claim[ed] the nod of the auctioneer. As white Richmonders sold off possessions to make ends meet in hard-pressed times, the citys slaves were going shopping. Yet even the most thriftless and impoverished must have cherished the thought of that most conspicuous and politically subversive form of consumption. However, grilled and roasted okra make delicious side dishes. My angry audience member was likely raised on the old enslaved-cook narrative in which these images took root, where the cook was loyal, passive, and purportedly happya non-threatening being whose ultimate goal was to help a white woman fulfill her own domestic vision. What did the slaves eat on the American plantations of the South? - eNotes Availalbe for use through Wiki Commons. These dishes traveled with captured West Africans on slave ships, and into the kitchens of Virginias elite. Food and Social Reform in the Progressive Era, Pepsi-Cola Advertisement in The Tar Heel, 1916, Food Conservation Effort in Orange County, NC During the First World War, News of the Academies-North Carolina Dining Hall (Aug. 3, 1913), Buffet Lunches Will Be Served During Holiday, What We Are Doing to Conserve Food and Keep Down Waste Jillian Fellows, North Carolina Supreme Court Case: Damages Awarded against Packer Because of Death Caused by Eating Unwholesome Fish, Waiters at Commons Hall, circa 1890s-1920s, 5 February 1916: The banqueting season of 1915-16 opened at nine oclock Friday night when forty-eight members of the senior class sat down in Swain Hall to grapefruit an maraschino.. The cooking traditions of the slaves were, as with most newcomers to these shores, a creative amalgamation of what they knew from their homelands and what was available to them here. These corn mushes and breads became the Soul Food staples of grits and cornbread. Some of the foods that could be consumed by slaves were beans, peas, corn, wheat, rice, oats, rye, barley, wheat flour, oatmeal, wheat bran, maize, apples, pears, beets, carrots, beets, carrots, apples, pears, berries, honey, currants, raisins, lemons, raspberries, plums, kiwi fruit, lychees, peaches, figs, pomegranates, oranges, grapes, peaches, Southern Plantations and Plantation Life - Study.com Purchased most often were cloth and sewing suppliescalico, cambric, muslin, shirting, and occasional bits of silkand ready-made clothing and accessories such as shoes, caps, hats, coats, dresses, shawls, shirts, and cravats. As small as they were, these potato holes allowed a tiny sense of privacy and self control in a life that rarely had boundaries. Where allowed, some slaves grew crops of their own to supplement diets or to barter and truck. Slave Consumption in the Old South: A Double-Edged Sword Black cooks created the feasts that gave the South its reputation for hospitality. Okra is found in many African dishes, especially in the stews they serve out of big cauldrons. Modern chefs have rediscovered this grain and are now putting it on their menus. Rather than ham hock, use the vegan secret weapon of smoked paprika. They were also found in Africa and Asia were also based on slavery. It means that whilst the dish may be a national staple on both islands in Trinidad and Tobago . Cuisines Of Enslaved Africans: Foods That Traveled Along With The Slave One formerly-enslaved woman remembered that she and her family aint had nothin but de coarsest food an clothes. Educator and former slave Booker T. Washington commented on clothing in particular, recalling shirts that were stiff and coarse . During the DecemberMay rainy season, slaves planted, fertilized with animal dung, and weeded. What did the slaves eat on the plantation? - YouTube Okra is one of those under-appreciated vegetables that I love. This was called mush. In December 1864, other sounds seemed equally troubling. "Slave owners sent back and got seeds for what the slaves were used to eating, because they weren't used to the food here in America. Serve immediately, with pepper sauce if desired. Sweet potatoes are hearty vegetables that grow well in less ideal soil, which made them an ideal crop for enslaved people and lower class whites. As Booker T. Washington recounts in his Slave Diet Bulletin, a common breakfast was cornbread and pork. Information about diet and food production for enslaved Africans on plantations. What struck me is the summary of the June 1777, I agree, and checked my source before submitting. The answers to these questions depend on where a person was enslaved and what kind of work she or he performed. For most, these questions were no more than abstractions, as few enslaved people managed to purchase themselves. How Enslaved Chefs Helped Shape American Cuisine Gibbs also mentions that the most "industrious" slaves were allowed to have their own gardens and chickens to tend to, and were able to sell their crops/goods for their own profit. Enslaved cooks were always under the direct gaze of white Virginians. The word gumbo comes from the Bantu word for okra, " ki ngombo ". The author of the letter (slave owner Robert W. Gibbs) is described in the newspaper article as one of the most intelligent physicians of the South and a gentleman of the highest personal character and consideration. In the actual letter Gibbs also establishes his own qualifications for speaking about the treatment of southern slaves by stating that he has cared for several thousands of slaves in his lifetime. ~:J3c5T~84.6kcA9jrapbZWVP~t,KERdK2Zp28i6B Cool enough to handle, and then peel the skins off and discard. The practice was abolished in most places during the 19th century. On a plantation with more than 100 slaves, the capital value of the slaves was greater than the capital value of the land and farming implements. Eco-friendly burial alternatives, explained. But the country began recalibrating its memories of black cooking even before the Civil War, erasing the brutality and hardships of slavery from a story of Old Southern graciousness. "Slave owners sent back and got seeds for what the slaves were used to eating, because they weren't used to the food here in America. "The strange dishes they were serving us weren't strange to me, because I was going, 'Hey, we eat this back home.' Slaves rued old coarse shoes widout no linin, so stiff you could hardly walk in em. Masters, they observed, wore finer cloth and donned shoes made of soft calf leather. In food provisions, too, enslaved people noted differences. A diet consisting of chicken products, molasses, bacon, and wine is one that would be highly appreciated during the 19thcentury. Folklore, archaeological evidence, and a rich oral tradition reveal that other cooks, their names now lost, also weaved their talents into the fabric of our culinary heritage, creating and normalizing the mixture of European, African, and Native American cuisines that became the staples of Southern food. In the American South, okra is probably most well-known as the ingredient found in gumbo. I know versions of his diary exist elsewhere, but the war time entries can be found, Thank you for sharing that, Adam. A reason many did not make it to the colonies at all was disease and illness. In Mississippi and South Carolina the figure approached one half.