0:00

You're listening to an airwave

0:02

media podcast. Ben Franklin's World

0:04

is a production of

0:06

Colonial Williamsburg Innovation Studios.

0:08

You know, I defined those culinary

0:10

artists who work on behalf

0:13

of their enslaved sisters and brothers

0:15

as culinary activists. They were actually

0:17

working on behalf of all Africans,

0:19

and many of them were involved

0:22

directly or indirectly in the

0:24

underground railroad. Sometimes their

0:26

homes or businesses were

0:28

local headquarters. A few

0:30

even hired enslaved runaways

0:33

to work at their

0:35

places of business.

0:37

Others collected money,

0:40

clothing, and food for

0:42

a specific drop-off

0:44

place connected with

0:47

the Underground Railroad.

0:49

And those places

0:52

were sometimes in

0:54

eating establishment. The podcast dedicated to

0:56

helping you learn more about how

0:58

the people and events of our

1:00

early American past have shaped the

1:02

present day world we live in.

1:05

And I'm your host, Liz Kovart. Did

1:07

you know that many of the food traditions

1:09

that we define is distinctly

1:11

American cuisine today have roots

1:14

in African culinary traditions and

1:16

history? Diane Spivey, a culinary

1:18

historian and author of three

1:20

culinary history books, joins us to

1:22

help us uncover the rich and

1:24

complex legacy of African and African-American

1:26

foodways and how those foodways have

1:29

helped establish the United States. Now

1:31

during our conversation, the hand reveals

1:33

how African and African-American

1:35

cooking made European colonial success

1:38

possible, the ways African-Americans contributed

1:40

to and supported the

1:42

Continental Army, and American success

1:45

in the American Revolution, and

1:47

how African-American chefs, bakers, and

1:49

cooks worked as culinary activists

1:51

during the anti-slavery and abolition

1:54

movements. But first, I've been experimenting

1:56

with a new type of newsletter for you. It's

1:59

called History. behind the headlines. This

2:01

is a brief weekly newsletter that comes out

2:03

on Fridays that offers you insight into

2:05

the history and historical origins of topics

2:08

that are appearing in our present-day news.

2:10

For example, in our very first

2:12

experiment, we talked about birthright citizens,

2:14

and we did this by looking back at what

2:17

some of our guest historians have had to

2:19

say in previous episodes. Now to receive the

2:21

History Behind the headlines newsletter, plus

2:23

the show notes for new episodes

2:26

in your inbox, visit Ben Franklin's

2:28

world.com/newsletter. That's Ben Franklin's

2:30

world.com/newsletter. And if you really like

2:33

it or you have suggestions about it,

2:35

just hit reply to the newsletter and

2:37

let me know because it's still a

2:39

work in progress and I really want

2:41

to make this information useful for

2:43

you. So Liz at Ben Franklin's world.com. All

2:46

right, I hope you've eaten recently

2:48

because this is an episode that

2:50

is going to make you hungry. At least

2:52

it made me hungry. Anyway, let's go

2:55

meet our guest historian. Our

3:07

guest is a culinary historian

3:09

who has devoted more than

3:11

40 years to studying and

3:14

recording African-American food traditions and

3:16

cooking. Her research has led her to write

3:18

many articles and two books. The

3:20

Peppers, Cracklings, and Knotts of Wool Cook

3:22

Book, The Global Migration of African

3:24

cuisine, and At the Table of

3:26

Power, Food and cuisine in the

3:29

African-American struggle for freedom,

3:31

justice, and equality. Welcome to

3:33

Ben Franklin's world, Diane Spivey. Well,

3:35

Diane. I loved reading at the table

3:37

of power. You seem very knowledgeable about

3:40

food and the different people who have

3:42

prepared it over the years. I'm curious

3:44

what drew you to your

3:46

study of African-American food traditions

3:48

and cooking throughout American and

3:50

United States history. First of all, I

3:52

consider myself a student. I tell this to

3:55

my son all the time. He appreciates my

3:57

cooking, but I tell him I'm still a

3:59

student. I'm still learning and I always

4:01

will be. But I tell you, back

4:04

in 1971, I got married

4:06

and I wanted to prepare

4:08

some delicious meals for my

4:10

husband. So I started taking

4:12

out cookbooks from the library

4:14

and I purchased and borrowed

4:17

cookbooks on African Mexican and

4:19

African American cooking, but it

4:21

became somewhat sickening actually because

4:23

there was a consistent theme

4:25

running through volumes on African

4:27

cuisine. and one of those

4:30

things was no food products

4:32

were indigenous to Africa, thereby

4:34

precluding Africans from

4:36

being capable of developing

4:39

any sort of cuisine

4:41

prior to the European

4:43

invasion. And Africans came

4:45

into contact with 99% of

4:47

the foods they consumed only

4:49

as a result of the

4:51

slain trade. And also African

4:54

culinary traditions vary.

4:56

from country to country

4:58

and have absolutely nothing

5:01

in common. Now according

5:03

to these same so-called

5:05

experts Mexico and South

5:07

America too were primitive

5:10

in their culinary environments

5:12

until Europe descended upon

5:15

them and it's noticeable

5:17

that the cuisines showcase for

5:19

all of these areas

5:22

celebrate what is considered

5:24

the European influence. now

5:26

1971 to 1973 or 75, it's

5:28

still the 1960s era, the

5:30

era that has been going

5:32

through a cultural awakening

5:35

that for African-Americans dug

5:37

just as deep or

5:40

a little deeper than

5:42

the Harlem Renaissance. And

5:44

at the time, I was reading

5:46

African history scholars such

5:48

as John Henry Clark,

5:50

Joseph Bin Jackannon, Dr.

5:52

Bin, Leo Weiner. She

5:55

can't idea up. Basil

5:57

Davidson. France for non-chance.

5:59

Williams, France, Boas, J.C.

6:01

D. Graft, Johnson, and others.

6:04

And their works contain much

6:06

of the core knowledge on

6:08

African history. And yet, here were

6:10

20th century cookbooks that

6:12

claimed that Africa never

6:14

had indigenous food products,

6:16

except for a couple of beans

6:19

in some sort of millet, nor

6:21

a cuisine. And we know, of course,

6:23

that these books were simply

6:25

trying to reiterate. what we call

6:27

the Buana and Tarzan movies and

6:30

books by saying, well, you know,

6:32

Africans just ate each other. So

6:34

I began to read and study

6:36

other cookbooks on various peoples

6:38

of color throughout the world,

6:41

and what I found

6:43

was numerous commonalities and

6:45

ingredients and cooking methods

6:47

of food preparations,

6:50

unmistakable African imprints.

6:52

shared between Africa and other

6:54

so-called third world peoples.

6:56

Noticeably, cookbook authors always

6:59

failed to acknowledge any African

7:01

connection to any other cuisine.

7:04

There was not one contribution

7:07

from African kitchens to those

7:09

of any other country on

7:11

the planet. It was the personal

7:13

affront and frankly a

7:15

call to intellectual arms. So

7:17

I found myself at war, you might

7:19

say to get the record straight.

7:22

about the African contribution to

7:24

the world of food and

7:26

cooking. It sounds like it must have

7:28

been a shock to read that Africans

7:30

did not originate any of the

7:32

food anywhere in the world because

7:34

science, anthropology, geology, and many

7:37

other fields have all shown

7:39

that most of human existence

7:41

and humans came from Africa.

7:44

So surely there was original food

7:46

there. Of course, it's the

7:48

cradle of humankind and... Also,

7:50

the cradle of culinary achievements,

7:52

too. Well, I'm really excited

7:54

to dive into those achievements. Now,

7:56

at the outset of your book,

7:58

At The Table of Power, You note that

8:00

in the mid to late 19th century,

8:03

cooking was really seen as the work

8:05

for people living and working in the

8:07

lower ranks of society. Would you tell

8:09

us why that was and what shifted

8:11

so that today we live in a world

8:13

where chefs are not only acknowledged

8:16

but placed on TV and exalted

8:18

for their skill creativity

8:20

and flavors in the kitchen? Cooking

8:22

in the earlier part of the 20th

8:24

century and going all the way back

8:26

to earlier centuries was labor

8:29

intensive. And to me, and I'm

8:31

certain to others as well, it still

8:33

is when you make most things

8:35

from scratch. But back then, there

8:37

were no food process, there was

8:39

no pressure cookers. Everything was

8:41

made from scratch, from the

8:44

fields, and or the garden,

8:46

and the barn on up. And there

8:48

was massive work involved, whether

8:50

the cooking was done at

8:52

home or commercially. It was considered

8:55

menial labor. and whites

8:57

never wanted to have to do

8:59

this type of labor never wanted

9:01

to be branded as menial laborers

9:04

but in 1976 the department

9:06

of labor reclassified chefs as

9:09

professionals and the foremost criteria

9:11

for anyone to be recognized as

9:13

worthy of becoming a chef that

9:16

is if you really want to be

9:18

taken seriously you have to attend

9:20

a cooking school and in this

9:23

country and all of Europe, the

9:25

foundation of your learning experience was

9:27

and still is to adopt French

9:30

cuisine and technique. I think

9:32

that the reclassification was an

9:34

attempt to follow in the

9:36

footsteps of the French and

9:38

how they classify their chefs. Now

9:40

that there are all of

9:43

these cooking shows with so-called

9:45

master chefs and cooking gurus,

9:47

the culinary arena has evolved

9:49

into an arm of the

9:51

entertainment industry. Chef's deemed professionals

9:53

are now, if you look

9:55

at a few of the

9:58

definitions for professional, expert. skillful,

10:00

masterly qualified. So no, cooking is

10:03

no longer seen as grunt work

10:05

for blacks and the bottom rung

10:07

of society. With quies and art

10:10

and kitchen aid labor saving devices

10:12

available, everyone wants it. Whites now

10:14

want it because not only does

10:17

it pay well, you can be

10:19

anointed and catapulted to start them.

10:21

Yeah, I wonder if we could

10:24

talk about French cuisine because your

10:26

book, At the Table of Power,

10:28

was really eye-opening to me when

10:31

I read your descriptions about French

10:33

cuisine because when we think of

10:36

French cuisine, we think of it

10:38

as the pinnacle of all cooking.

10:40

If it's French, then there's a

10:43

lot of butter, there's a lot

10:45

of flavor, but your historical definition

10:47

of French cuisine basically turned my

10:50

stomach a bit. You made it

10:52

sound like French cuisine of the

10:54

early modern period or the early

10:57

American period, as we like to

10:59

call it. Was it really all

11:01

that appetizing unless you happen to

11:04

be an elite person and very

11:06

wealthy? In terms of the true

11:09

culinary legacy of France, these are

11:11

things that we don't learn in

11:13

school. People don't talk about this.

11:16

They prefer to see France and

11:18

European cuisine, as like you said,

11:20

the pinnacle. Much literature abounds extolling

11:23

that inherent superiority of the culinary

11:25

heritage of the French. but with

11:27

regard to that heritage, generally speaking,

11:30

the food that the people were

11:32

able to acquire was always coarse

11:34

and often insufficient. Meat appeared on

11:37

the table rarely. The basic foods

11:39

were bread, soup, dairy products, and

11:42

butter. Wheat bread was quite rare.

11:44

Only bread of rye and oats.

11:46

and that frequently was of poor

11:49

quality. In the poorest regions, the

11:51

people ate biscuits and porridge of

11:53

buckweed or even of chestnuts or

11:56

maize, wheat and even rye served

11:58

largely to pay the... Texas and

12:00

the farm rent or was sold

12:03

for export when this was

12:05

permitted. Potatoes, which later

12:07

became a staple food product

12:09

among the farmers, were grown

12:11

only in a few particularly

12:14

fertile regions. In the 17th

12:16

century, it was great suffering

12:18

in the rural sections of every

12:20

part of France. The governor of

12:23

the area wrote in 1675, and

12:25

I'm quoting him, it is a

12:27

fact. and I assure you that

12:29

I know where if I speak

12:31

that the great majority of the

12:33

inhabitants of this province lived

12:35

during the winter only from acorns

12:37

and roots and now they can

12:40

be seen eating the grass of

12:42

the fields and the bark of

12:44

trees. And then after 1685

12:46

misery seemed to increase the

12:48

peasants lived from buckwheat bread

12:51

and others who have no buckwheat

12:53

lived from roots ferns. boiled

12:55

with flour of barley or oats

12:57

and salt. And one finds

12:59

them sleeping on straw. They

13:02

have no clothing except what

13:04

they wear and that is very

13:06

poor. And then 18th century

13:08

France seemed to fare no

13:10

better than the previous century.

13:13

Famine hit France in the

13:15

winter of 1709. The great drought

13:17

in 1785 forced farmers to

13:19

sell a portion of their

13:22

cattle. There was an enormous

13:24

increase in food prices. In

13:26

1774 and 1789 farmers had to

13:28

live on turnips, milk, and again,

13:30

even grass. Yeah, the French in

13:32

the early modern period do not

13:34

seem to have had a good high-quality

13:36

diet. But we do know from

13:39

speaking with other scholars that many

13:41

indigenous peoples in North

13:44

America did have varied

13:46

and high-quality diets. Many of

13:48

these peoples cultivated corn beans and

13:50

squash... and then mix those with

13:52

different game that they were able

13:54

to hunt. And it seems that in many

13:56

cases where European colonists came into

13:58

contact with indigenous... peoples, that

14:00

indigenous peoples really helped them

14:03

improve their diets. And then

14:05

in your book, At the

14:07

Table of Power, we learned

14:09

that there were many contributions

14:11

Africans made to early American

14:13

diets as well. So would

14:15

you tell us about how

14:17

Africans became involved in cooking

14:20

in North America and how

14:22

their cooking really contributed to

14:24

the success of European colonial

14:26

settlement and really even European

14:28

colonial survival in North America?

14:30

Well, I have to tell

14:32

you that when I talk

14:34

about... African culinary contribution to

14:37

North America. I can never

14:39

start with 1619, which is

14:41

synonymous with slavery. I have

14:43

to start with there are

14:45

at least three stages of

14:47

African culinary contribution to North

14:49

America and the Americas in

14:51

general. Most people still believe

14:53

that Africans have no connection

14:56

to world history culinary or

14:58

otherwise prior to 1619. So

15:00

I always say. that the

15:02

first stage begins with Africa

15:04

being the cradle of humankind

15:06

and civilization and its cuisine

15:08

and culture migrating not only

15:10

to every part of the

15:13

African continent, but also this

15:15

is the second stage, transplanting

15:17

its cuisine and culture and

15:19

making indelible culinary marks through

15:21

exploration, migration and trade, expeditions

15:23

on various cultures in the

15:25

Americas. such as the Olmecs

15:27

and Mayans of Mexico, the

15:30

Chauvin of Peru, the Native

15:32

American mound builders, the Caribes

15:34

of St. Vincent, and those

15:36

marks were made long before

15:38

the so-called discovery of America.

15:40

But the third stage was

15:42

Africans dragged to the Americas

15:44

as slaves and the African

15:46

contribution to the success of

15:49

European colonial settlement. Europeans who

15:51

came voluntarily were... looking to

15:53

attain a better life, the

15:55

importation of Africans as slaves

15:57

was crucial in the bill.

15:59

of these colonies and two of

16:01

the most crucial building blocks

16:04

were food production or agriculture

16:06

and cooking. Africans were knowledgeable

16:08

and possessed the expertise in

16:10

agriculture and in the preparation

16:13

and cooking of numerous agricultural

16:15

products. Farming in West Africa

16:18

always took into account among

16:20

other things the ecological setting,

16:22

indigenous crops, the kinds of

16:25

tools used, how production is

16:27

organized and carried out. and

16:29

how farming communities interact socially

16:31

and economically with larger agricultural

16:34

networks. Now with an

16:36

understanding of their own ecological

16:38

settings, West African farmers employed

16:40

complex land combinations which allowed

16:43

them to differentiate categories

16:45

of farming. The Euroba and

16:47

Bini and other Nigerian societies

16:49

lived in settled communities on

16:52

the same sites for several

16:54

hundred years and evolved agricultural

16:56

systems. that allow continuous cultivation

16:58

of their soils without loss

17:01

of fertility. And I

17:03

mentioned this expertise because

17:05

this contributed tremendously to

17:07

filling the larders of

17:09

the colonists, where there was

17:12

an abundance of shellfish and

17:14

different types of fish which

17:16

were net-caught African techniques were

17:18

used. Seafood was turned into

17:20

soups, stews, gumbos, and chouders.

17:22

Africans were also known as

17:25

expert hunters. So that was

17:27

rabbit, squirrel, deer, raccoon, opossa,

17:29

and turtle that filled these

17:32

larders. It's interesting to note

17:34

that terrapin or turtle

17:36

soup traditionally prepared by

17:38

African cooks became a

17:40

must-have delicacy at dinners

17:42

and other special culinary functions

17:44

in the 18th, 19th, and

17:46

part of the 20th century

17:49

America. And the research in

17:51

this area has shown that

17:53

this dish was usually a

17:55

specialty. of African cooks and

17:57

caterers whose recipes dinner hosts.

18:00

did not want to do

18:02

without. Spices and sauces were

18:04

made to enhance bland tasting

18:06

foods. African cooks were sometimes

18:08

judged by their skill in

18:11

using spices to make sauces.

18:13

Peppers such as malaguetta or

18:15

guinea pepper or grains of

18:17

paradise were used fresh dried

18:19

and grated or pounded into

18:22

a paste and added to

18:24

those sauces stews and soups

18:26

and used to based meats

18:28

or used to based meats.

18:31

There was also the, I

18:33

pronounced it, pilly-pilly, used to

18:35

season sauces in the Congo

18:37

and in Luongo seaport of

18:39

the Congo cooks preferred pimental

18:42

pepper. Pimental peppers, pickled and

18:44

vinegar, or lime juice were

18:46

also used for medicines. Africans

18:48

considered it an excellent antidote

18:51

for upset stomachs. Medicines are

18:53

another use for many spices

18:55

in Africa. African spice larder

18:57

included but was not limited

18:59

to... Perry, ginger, saffron, thyme,

19:02

sage, sweet basil, mint, parsley,

19:04

and other herbs to flavor

19:06

meats, stews, and sauces. And

19:08

of course onions and tomatoes

19:11

were essential in many dishes.

19:13

And seeds, nuts, and oils

19:15

were important seasoning in greens

19:17

as well. Melon, cucumber, coriander,

19:19

sesame seeds, hazel nuts, peanuts,

19:22

and pistachios, flavored, stews, flavored,

19:24

flavored, stews, flavored, flavored, stews,

19:26

Peanut oil, sometimes sesame seed

19:28

oil, oil from the kola

19:31

nut, coconut oil, and especially

19:33

palm oil, were other flavor

19:35

enhancers. And cooks also used

19:37

all edible parts of plants,

19:39

leaves, stems, seeds, and roots,

19:42

which gave substance and variety

19:44

to dishes. I wonder if

19:46

we could go a little

19:48

bit deeper. So you mentioned

19:51

how Africans brought different agricultural

19:53

techniques and a great familiarity

19:55

with spices with them to

19:57

North America. Marjorie would like

19:59

to know. What other food

20:02

traditions and food ways Africans

20:04

brought to North America and

20:06

that are still with us

20:08

today? That is something that

20:10

we always like to talk

20:12

about because those traditions we

20:14

see in many parts of

20:16

America. For instance, in

20:19

Louisiana, we have things

20:21

like gumbo and jambalaya.

20:23

The Cajuns did not bring

20:25

those items. Those are

20:27

African originated. And even the

20:30

Benier, which is just a

20:32

fritter, Africans made fritters

20:34

all the time in many

20:37

parts of the continent,

20:39

the goulas in Georgia,

20:41

South Carolina, and some

20:43

are in Florida, North

20:45

Carolina. They have many red

20:47

rice dishes that they brought.

20:50

Benny Soup is a favorite

20:52

in South Carolina. I want

20:54

to say that the Carolina low

20:57

country showcased. cultural dominance

20:59

of the Bekongo peoples

21:01

of Congo and Gola origin,

21:03

followed by Cinegambians and those

21:06

from the Winward Coast. It

21:08

was the Bekongo influence that served

21:10

as an incubator for many

21:12

gula cultural patterns. Their

21:15

traditional rice cultivation and

21:17

cuisine survived the middle passage

21:19

very definitely. Gulla lifestyle showcased

21:22

farm to table cuisine.

21:24

Gulla traditional dishes, such as

21:26

red rice, Oprah soup, and there

21:28

are many varieties as there

21:30

are Louisiana gumbo on that

21:32

which are almost always prepared

21:34

with a tomato base. Peelow

21:36

or perlew, Hopping John, which

21:39

Carolina peas and rice, one-pot

21:41

meals and numerous shrimp and

21:43

seafood entrees, are always accompanied

21:45

by or mixed with rice.

21:47

Leafy grains, spicy hot pepper

21:50

sauces, peanuts and peanut butter

21:52

stews, meats, meats and peanut

21:54

butter stews, meats, meats. were

21:56

preserved by salting, corning, and

21:59

sundry. in Africa and I

22:01

think this method was no

22:03

doubt the precursor to the

22:05

development of Virginia's Smithfield ham.

22:08

Favorite methods of preparing fish

22:10

were pickled, raw, fried, boiled,

22:13

and what we have come to

22:15

call gumboing. Dried shrimp and

22:17

crayfish are still must have

22:19

ingredients and stews and sauces,

22:22

some of which combine different

22:24

types of fish with coconut

22:26

milk and other ingredients.

22:28

Crab, lobster, cod. mackerels,

22:30

soul, alligator, pike, prawn,

22:32

gilt head, eel, shrimp, sprat,

22:35

flounder, carp, and many

22:37

other varieties of catch

22:39

were obtained from oceans,

22:41

rivers, strings, and lagoons,

22:43

and always provided the

22:46

fisher folk, such as the

22:48

twi of Ghana and the

22:50

Muslim bozo, who depended heavily

22:53

on fishing and... boat raid

22:55

on the Niger and Bani

22:57

rivers with enormous quantities of

22:59

fish that were dried and

23:01

salted or smoked to keep

23:03

it for long periods of time

23:05

for sale at markets located well

23:08

into the interior of the

23:10

continent. And then to put

23:12

some of the methods in

23:14

context, greens simmered with oil,

23:17

pepper seasonings or added to soups,

23:19

egg plants, baked, boiled or fried.

23:21

boiled fresh beans and fruits

23:24

and vegetables. The beans, fruits,

23:26

and vegetables could be pounded

23:28

to a paste and the

23:30

paste then used to thicken

23:33

soups or sauces. Roasted

23:35

yams in their skins are

23:37

enjoyed and yams pounded until

23:39

they have the consistency

23:41

of dumpling dough. The dumpling

23:43

dough is now what they would

23:45

call fufu when it's in that form

23:48

and served with soup or

23:50

sauce and fufu. was sometimes

23:52

cooked with meat or poultry

23:54

and then asked for breads.

23:56

Casavado was baked in

23:58

banana leaves. Casavado slices

24:01

deep fried. We still have most

24:03

of these methods of food preparation.

24:05

We don't use banana leaves here

24:08

so much, but we do fry

24:10

dough to make fritters. And so

24:12

I'm always amazed when people say

24:14

French biniers. Well, the thing of

24:16

it is when it comes to

24:19

French and that tag being placed

24:21

on food, you have to understand

24:23

that the French. name everything in

24:25

French. Once it has a French

24:28

name on it, it automatically becomes

24:30

French. That's just the way it

24:32

is. It doesn't make it French

24:34

because it has a French name.

24:37

It's given a French name and

24:39

people just accept it as French.

24:41

Yeah, people and cultures definitely tend

24:43

to use language as a form

24:45

of cultural assimilation and colonization, so

24:48

it doesn't surprise me to hear

24:50

the French. did this with French

24:52

bandiers or anything they labeled French,

24:54

the English certainly did this and

24:57

we can see that in a

24:59

lot of different place names all

25:01

throughout North America. Now we've talked

25:03

a lot about the general trends

25:05

Africans brought with them to North

25:08

America during their forced migration, but

25:10

in her book, at the table

25:12

of power, Diane also includes a

25:14

lot of different stories about many

25:17

African and African Americans who made

25:19

a real difference, not just in

25:21

the founding of the United States.

25:23

but also in the new nation's

25:26

quest for liberty and equality. And

25:28

he made these contributions all through

25:30

their cooking, or from the money

25:32

that they earned from their cooking.

25:34

So, Diane, would you take us

25:37

back to the American Revolution and

25:39

tell us about Hannah and Isaac

25:41

Till and their efforts to keep

25:43

the Continental Army fed during the

25:46

Winter of Valley Forge in 1777

25:48

and 1778? Hannah Till was born

25:50

in Delaware. In 1721 or 1722,

25:52

her original name was Long Point,

25:55

a name given to her by

25:57

her father, her mother was enslaved.

25:59

Hannah was owned by John Brinkley,

26:01

then Parson Henderson, then

26:03

finally sold to Reverend

26:06

Mason. Hannah became known as

26:08

Hannah Archer and Hannah Mason.

26:10

After her enslaver, Reverend John

26:13

Mason of the Associate Reformed

26:15

Church in New York legally

26:17

owned her by 1776. Reverend

26:19

Mason leased Hannah to Cook

26:21

for George Washington and

26:23

his wartime wartime wartime

26:26

wartime wartime wartime. She

26:28

joined her husband Isaac Till,

26:30

also an enslaved cook, leased

26:33

by Captain John Johnson of

26:35

Bergen County, New Jersey. By

26:37

the time they were both

26:39

working for General Washington.

26:41

Hannah and Isaac already had

26:43

a daughter named Sarah, at

26:45

Valley Forge, while living and

26:47

working in the kitchen of

26:50

the Isaac Potts House, known

26:52

today as Washington's headquarters. They

26:54

had another child, Isaac Worley

26:56

Till. Both cooks had arranged with

26:59

Washington and their respective enslavers

27:01

that they would purchase their

27:03

freedom. Now Hannah reached the required

27:05

sum on October 30th 1778. She was

27:07

said to be highly prized as a

27:09

pastry cook and now as a salaried

27:12

one as well, Mrs. Till continued

27:14

working as Washington's personal cook

27:16

for six and a half years, but

27:19

the last six months of

27:21

her tenure with Washington with

27:23

Washington with a tenure with

27:25

Washington with Washington with Washington.

27:27

She worked for Major General

27:29

Marquis de Lafayette, after the

27:31

war Hannah and Isaac Till

27:34

found employment, cooking for families

27:36

in Philadelphia. Washington

27:38

had a dining tent during the

27:41

war, where he hosted his war

27:43

councils and held formal meals. It

27:45

was oval about 28 feet long

27:48

by 16 feet wide and 12

27:50

feet tall, and it is said,

27:52

likely among the largest tents

27:55

used by the continental army

27:57

during Revolutionary War, one of the meals

27:59

with Washington was in the summer of

28:02

1781 and was described by a

28:04

French officer that the table was

28:06

spread abundantly with vegetables, rose beef,

28:08

lamb, chickens, salad dressed with vinegar,

28:10

green peas, puddings, and some pie,

28:12

a kind of tart, and my

28:14

dear why. Another meal in 1779,

28:16

he had beef steak pie dishes

28:18

of crab and apple pie, an

28:20

apple pie, an apple pie, and

28:22

apple pie, an apple pie, an

28:24

apple pie, and apple pie, an

28:26

apple pie, an apple pie, and

28:28

apple pie, an apple, and apple,

28:30

and apple pie, and apple pie,

28:33

and apple pie, and apple pie,

28:35

and apple pie, and apple pie,

28:37

and apple pie, and apple pie,

28:39

and apple pie, and apple pie,

28:41

and apple pie, and apple pie,

28:43

and apple pie, and apple, and

28:45

apple pie, and apple, and apple,

28:47

and apple, and apple, and apple,

28:49

and apple, and apple, and apple,

28:51

and apple, and apple, and apple,

28:53

and apple, and apple, Now these

28:55

were meals that Washington enjoyed on

28:57

occasion. Cooking conditions were extremely difficult.

28:59

There were limited rations, poor quality

29:01

food. So the meals were unappetizing,

29:03

especially during periods of supply shortages

29:05

that occurred at Valley Forge. I

29:07

gather there were numerous supplies shortages.

29:10

Soldiers were usually given small portions

29:12

of salted meat, hard biscuits made

29:14

from flour. and limited vegetables, which

29:16

were often spoiled due to poor

29:18

storage and transportation. Their rations were

29:20

a pound of bee, three quarter

29:22

pound of chicken or pork, a

29:24

pound of flour, three pines of

29:26

peas or beans, and one pint

29:28

of milk, one quart of spruce

29:30

beer cider, and occasionally molasses. But

29:32

they very seldom saw these rations

29:34

because of the supply shortages. So

29:36

saltras also made... firekates, which were

29:38

hard chewy, tasteless biscuits or crackers,

29:40

made of flour, water, and if

29:42

available, a little salt. They were

29:44

baked on rocks in the fire

29:47

or in ashes. The production of

29:49

firekakes sounds slightly similar to the

29:51

original African-American hulkates, which George Washington

29:53

was very fond of. However, for

29:55

him, they were produced as pancakes.

29:57

Cooking was subject to long preparation

29:59

times because firewood and water

30:01

had to be gathered before anyone

30:03

could start cooking. And most of

30:06

the cooking was done in

30:08

large communal pots over open

30:10

campfires with the necessity

30:12

to improvise cooking utensils,

30:14

whatever materials were available,

30:17

makeshift cooking tools like

30:19

iron barrel hoops or broken

30:21

space were used to cook

30:23

food. And boiling was the

30:25

primary cooking method due to

30:27

its simplicity and... ability to

30:30

rehydrate dried or salted foods.

30:32

Another African-American who worked really

30:34

hard to further the revolutionary cause

30:36

was a tavern keeper named Samuel

30:38

Frownses. Diane, would you tell us

30:41

about the New York-based Frownses and

30:43

his work on behalf of

30:45

the revolutionary cause? New York received

30:47

a small share of free black

30:49

immigrants from the Caribbean, and Samuel

30:52

Francis was one such immigrant. who

30:54

was considered to be a cook

30:56

and caterer of talent, if not

30:58

genius, he was a

31:00

dark, complexioned mulatto, popularly

31:03

known as black Sam. Francis

31:05

bought the building on the

31:07

southeast corner of Pearl and

31:09

Broad Streets on January

31:11

15th, 1762, for 2000 pounds.

31:14

And after a while, what had

31:16

been called the Queen's Head

31:18

Tavern, which was named after

31:20

Queen Charlotte. the young wife

31:22

of George III of England,

31:24

was changed to Francis Tavern

31:26

and it became the social

31:28

center of the city. Francis

31:30

Tavern was a restaurant opened

31:33

as an inn by the

31:35

40-year-old caterer, and it was at

31:37

Francis Tavern that the New

31:39

York Chamber of Commerce was

31:42

organized in 1768. Meetings of

31:44

the Chamber of Commerce were held

31:46

in the tavern's long room. and

31:48

his patrons were the most

31:50

famous men of the time,

31:52

making it the scene of

31:55

many notable gatherings of historical

31:57

and patriotic significance. Francis Tavern

31:59

the Committee of Correspondence.

32:02

Black Sam Cookery was referred

32:04

to as the starting point

32:07

and the sustaining Pabblem of

32:09

American Liberty. He was

32:11

said to be the sworn

32:13

revolutionary, and it was at

32:15

Francis that the Sons of

32:17

Liberty and the Vigilance Committee

32:19

met in 1774 to protest

32:22

the landing of British tea

32:24

and to lay plans for a

32:26

tea party, much like the one

32:28

that took place in Boston. And it

32:30

has been suggested that Francis'

32:32

friendship to the cause of

32:35

the revolution took the form

32:37

of spy for the patriots,

32:39

who sent secret intelligence under

32:42

an alias. In addition, Francis

32:44

was well known to cook for

32:46

and feed at his own expense,

32:48

Patriot troops, who would stop by

32:51

his tavern. Francis was

32:53

known for his palate-pleasing

32:55

dishes. George Washington frequently died

32:58

at Francis, and he was

33:00

already lodging there from November

33:02

26th to December 4th in

33:04

1783, and it was on

33:07

November 30th that Washington gave

33:09

a party, or as it

33:11

was referred to at the

33:13

time, an entertainment. And on

33:16

December 4th, 1783, about 44

33:18

of whom America considers the

33:20

greatest military leaders were present

33:23

at Francis's. for a farewell

33:25

dinner. Samuel Francis was

33:27

asked by Governor Clinton

33:29

to organize the first public

33:32

dinner for Washington, following

33:34

the victory march in New York.

33:36

Francis was well-liked and

33:39

respected by the most

33:41

prominent New York citizens

33:43

of his day. In April 1785,

33:45

Francis and his wife Elizabeth

33:47

sold the tavern. When Washington

33:50

became president, he appointed Francis

33:52

as his house steward. and superintendent

33:54

of the kitchen of what was

33:56

then the White House on Cherry

33:58

Street in New York. Francis continued

34:01

to work for the Washington's until

34:03

June of 1794. Always meticulously dressed.

34:05

He was a man of taste

34:08

and a connoisseur of wines. Francis

34:10

opened a restaurant in Philadelphia, more

34:12

elegant they say, than his tavern

34:15

in New York. The next year,

34:17

however, he moved his establishment to

34:19

South Water Street, naming it the

34:22

Golden Tonne tavern. Washington and... other

34:24

dignitaries dying there, which in turn

34:26

attracted foreign diplomats, merchants, and sea

34:29

captains. France has died a few

34:31

months after the opening of his

34:33

new restaurant in 1795. Now speaking

34:36

of George Washington placing a high

34:38

value on his personal chefs and

34:40

cooks, Thomas Jefferson did the same

34:43

thing. He also placed a high

34:45

value on his personal chefs. Now

34:47

before we dive into the stories

34:50

of Washington's personal chef Hercules and

34:52

Jefferson's personal chef James Hemings, let's

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everyone for everyone. Diane. Diane Would

35:53

you tell us about George Washington's

35:55

other personal chef Hercules and Thomas

35:58

Jefferson's chef James Hemings? Why did

36:00

Washington and Jefferson play such high

36:02

values on the culinary talents of

36:05

Hercules and Hemings. With George

36:07

Washington, I can tell you that he

36:09

did not like the cooking at one

36:11

of his presidential residences.

36:14

So in the latter part of 1790,

36:16

about November, he brought Hercules

36:19

to his Philadelphia residence on

36:21

a permanent basis. George

36:23

Washington Park Custis,

36:25

those Martha Washington's

36:28

Washington's grandson. spoke of

36:30

Hercules as a culinary-celebrated

36:32

artiste, who was at the

36:35

period of Washington's presidency, in

36:37

custody's words, as highly accomplished

36:40

and proficient in the culinary

36:42

arts, as could be found

36:45

in the United States.

36:47

Hercules was chief chef, and

36:49

he managed Washington's kitchen, it

36:51

was said, with iron discipline.

36:54

But he not only had blacks,

36:56

but also at one point, whites

36:58

under him. one German and two

37:00

French cooks. Hercules was

37:02

responsible for the superior

37:05

level of cuisine and

37:07

hospitality, afforded not only

37:09

George and Martha, but

37:11

visitors to the Washington's

37:13

homes as well. Hercules'

37:15

stellar performances gave the

37:17

Washington's dinner table renowned

37:19

in political circles and

37:21

were responsible for one

37:24

of the first examples

37:26

of culinary diplomacy. Now James

37:28

Hemings as well was a

37:30

prized possession of Thomas Jefferson.

37:32

Jefferson relished the reputation Hemings

37:34

and his other black cooks

37:36

were building for him as

37:38

a purveyor of fine dining.

37:41

So he didn't mind eating

37:43

well and of course in

37:45

his line of work culinary

37:47

diplomacy was a must also.

37:49

Jefferson decided James would teach

37:51

James's brother Peter everything he

37:53

knew about cooking. For both

37:56

Washington and Jefferson, Philadelphia, who

37:58

are both presidents. held residences

38:00

was considered a bad neighborhood

38:03

for slaveholders. There was the

38:05

Gradually Mastipation Act of 1780.

38:07

It was passed by the

38:09

Pennsylvania Congress and it stated

38:11

that all slaves born after

38:13

March 1st, 1780 were free

38:15

at age 28 and any

38:17

unregistered slave would become free.

38:20

But another part of this

38:22

act that affected the two

38:24

slave owning precedence state that

38:26

slaves brought into the state

38:28

would automatically be free if

38:30

held there longer than six

38:32

months. It was in 1790

38:34

that George Washington was alerted

38:37

to this problem. Now, George

38:39

Washington was not about to

38:41

give up any of his

38:43

slaves. Washington decides that in

38:45

order to keep his favorite

38:47

foods on the table, he,

38:49

the chief officer of the

38:52

realm, must scheme to circumvent

38:54

the law. So in order

38:56

to accomplish this, Washington had

38:58

his secretary to buy his

39:00

Lear, send his bombs people

39:02

out of the city on

39:04

some phony pretense as the

39:06

six-month timeline drew near. He

39:09

sent Secretary Lear an urgent

39:11

letter from Richmond, Virginia, while

39:13

he was on a presidential

39:15

tour of the South, in

39:17

which he tells Lear that

39:19

he's sending Chef Hercules and

39:21

the others back to Virginia.

39:24

And Washington actually states... that

39:26

the idea is to deceive

39:28

both them and the public

39:30

and to make Hercules think

39:32

he is just being asked

39:34

to come home to Cook.

39:36

Washington's efforts to beat the

39:38

system that existed in Philadelphia

39:41

is interesting on all counts

39:43

because when the Potomac area

39:45

became home to the nation's

39:47

capital, over one-fifth of the

39:49

area's population was enslaved, many

39:51

of whom were undoubtedly the

39:53

property of public officials. Clearly...

39:55

if the seat of government

39:58

was located in a park

40:00

of the country, unfriendly to

40:02

slavery, slaveholders' problems

40:04

would be compounded. So,

40:06

in order to guarantee uninterrupted

40:08

culinary bliss, the capital

40:11

of the United States had to be

40:13

purposefully situated in the South,

40:15

in slave holding territory,

40:18

because the president who drew up

40:20

the plans for the site of the

40:22

capital, as well as most of

40:24

the people he knew, were slaveholders, and

40:27

that being the case. He was

40:29

not about to give up or cause others

40:31

to give up those big fluffy biscuits

40:33

and luscious cakes and pies.

40:35

In keeping with Samuel Francis

40:38

Cookery as being described

40:40

as the sustaining pablum

40:42

of American liberty, it was

40:44

African folks cooking that determined

40:46

the location of the capital

40:48

of the United States. As

40:50

were on the topics of cooking

40:52

and slavery, Stussel would like to

40:55

know what role African-American cooks and

40:57

chefs played in the anti-slavery movements

41:00

of the late 18th and early

41:02

19th centuries, and even during the

41:04

later abolition movement during the mid-19th

41:06

century. So I think this would be a

41:09

good place for us to talk about the

41:11

story of John Romand, Nancy

41:13

Lennox's wife, and their family, and all

41:15

of the work that they're cooking allowed

41:17

them to do for the anti-slavery

41:19

movement. So would you tell us

41:22

about the Romans? on behalf of

41:24

their enslaved sisters and brothers as

41:26

culinary activists. They were actually working

41:28

on behalf of all Africans, and

41:30

many of them were involved directly

41:33

or indirectly in the Underground Railroad.

41:35

Sometimes their homes or businesses were

41:37

local headquarters. A few even hired

41:40

enslaved runaways to work at their

41:42

places of business. Others collected money,

41:44

clothing, and food for a

41:47

specific drop-off place connected with

41:49

the Underground Railroad. and those

41:51

places were sometimes in

41:53

eating establishment. A few were

41:55

conductors themselves, who managed somehow

41:58

to transport runaways by bolder

42:00

steamer. Speaking out against a

42:03

system of slavers common,

42:05

and some wrote anti-slavery

42:07

columns for anti-slavery newspapers.

42:10

There were male and female

42:12

orders who went on the

42:15

road and spoke at anti-slavery

42:17

meetings, rallies, and conventions like

42:19

Frederick Douglas, Sarah Parker

42:21

Raymond, and her brother

42:23

Charles L. Raymond. Sarah and

42:26

Charles were from Salem,

42:28

Massachusetts. In 1790... Salem was

42:30

the sixth largest city in the

42:32

US with a little under 8,000

42:35

inhabitants. Salem merchants contributed

42:37

to its mixed population

42:39

since their ships visited the

42:41

shores of Arabia, China, India,

42:43

Africa, and other countries. The ships

42:46

returned carrying many foreigners. One

42:48

such ship, the Six Brothers,

42:50

had been captured by the

42:52

French, but was subsequently released.

42:54

on January 25th 1798 and

42:56

soon made its homeward journey to

42:59

Salem. Now there was an African

43:01

lad ten years old. He

43:03

managed to get on board this ship

43:05

without being noticed, but

43:08

he disembarked at Salem. John

43:10

Needham, the owner and commander

43:12

of the ship, placed John Remind

43:14

under the care of Needham's

43:16

brother Isaac, who owned a

43:18

bakery. Young Riemann delivered the

43:21

bakery's bread to private homes as

43:23

well as the ships. But sometime

43:25

after his arrival in Salem,

43:27

John Riemann left for Boston

43:29

to learn the barbering and

43:31

hairdressing trade and occupation held

43:33

by many blacks during the

43:35

early decades of the 19th century.

43:37

During his stay, he garnered a

43:40

great deal of knowledge with regard

43:42

to the catering business after

43:44

meeting Nancy Lennox, his future

43:46

wife. Miss Lennox was a free

43:48

woman. She was born in

43:51

Newton, Massachusetts and was known

43:53

as an excellent and

43:55

talented cook. Riemann returned

43:57

to Salem in 1805 at

43:59

the age Of 19, he opened

44:01

barber, hairdresser, and catering

44:04

businesses. Between 1805 and

44:06

1857, John Raymond occupied

44:08

the position of the

44:10

principal restaurateur in Salem.

44:12

He was referred to

44:14

as the colored restaurant tour.

44:17

Raymond married Nancy Lennox

44:19

in Boston on October 29,

44:21

1807. She was a well-known

44:24

fancy cake maker and her

44:26

skills would prove to be

44:28

a crucial asset. in helping

44:30

to make her and her

44:32

husband's catering business successful. And

44:35

successful it was, the reamens

44:37

cooking and catering were feigned

44:39

and highly valued. Soup was served

44:41

at his store at 11 a.m.

44:43

every morning. It was reported that

44:46

the kitchen had huge brick

44:48

ovens and a fireplace, which

44:50

John reamens kept busy by

44:52

preparing all sorts of fouls,

44:54

pies and cakes. Some of the

44:56

cateering that they did. were

44:59

spectacular. One was for the

45:01

governor of Massachusetts. They catered

45:03

for the Salem Light

45:05

Infantry Company. There is a

45:08

public dinner in honor of

45:10

Captain Isaac Hall. Then there

45:12

was Salem's anniversary celebration,

45:14

a dinner honoring justice story,

45:17

a reception and dinner for

45:19

the Marquis de Lafayette, and

45:21

then the dinner for President

45:23

Andrew Jackson, which was quite

45:26

an affair. The U.S.S. Census

45:28

for 1850 has John

45:30

Riemann's assets listed

45:32

at $3,600. The 1870 census,

45:35

his real estate holdings

45:37

totaled $19,400 and

45:39

personal assets at $2,000.

45:42

Parents of eight children,

45:44

John and Nancy did not

45:46

go out on the road

45:48

physically campaigning in

45:50

the anti-slavery movement

45:52

as some Africans

45:54

did, but they... took as

45:57

many opportunities as possible

46:00

anti-slavery sentiments.

46:02

John was said to be

46:04

a life member of the

46:06

Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. Nancy

46:08

and Daughters Caroline, Susan,

46:10

and Sarah participated in

46:12

the activities of the first

46:14

women's anti-slavery society

46:16

in the US, the female Anti-Slavery

46:19

Society of Salem, organized in

46:21

February 1832, by a group

46:23

of females of color. It is

46:25

said that their group later

46:27

became racially mixed. The Remans

46:30

never utilized products of

46:32

slave labor for personal

46:34

use. When they could not get

46:36

free labor, sugar, molasses, or

46:38

rice, they used substitute or

46:40

win without. Two of their children

46:43

played crucial roles in

46:45

the anti-slavery cause, making

46:47

their names synonymous with

46:49

abolition. Others built extensive

46:51

businesses and were very

46:54

important contributors to that

46:56

world. The children had all

46:58

been exposed to art, music,

47:01

books, anti-slavery literature of all

47:03

sorts, including the Liberator, and

47:05

newspapers published by free blacks

47:08

such as Freedom's Journal, the

47:10

North Star, the Colored American,

47:12

and others, which were conspicuously

47:14

displayed in their shops, contributing

47:16

in many ways to

47:18

the abolitionist movement, the

47:21

reams were always a stop

47:23

for anti-slavery lecturers. and their home

47:25

received a number of fugitive slaves

47:27

who were provided with nourishment, clothing,

47:30

and shelter. Such a background of

47:32

family, racial, and social consciousness

47:34

instilled the driving force for

47:36

the anti-slavery activities of their

47:38

two most famous children. Charles

47:41

Lennox Reimand, hailed as the first

47:43

and most eloquent black abolitionist

47:45

lecturer before the appearance of

47:47

Frederick Douglas and Sarah Parker

47:50

Reimand. lecturing agent for

47:52

the American Anti-Slavery Society.

47:54

We've just had a wide ranging discussion

47:56

of all the different flavors and

47:58

cooking techniques. that Africans brought with

48:01

them to North America and the

48:03

many different ways that African-Americans

48:05

use their cooking to contribute to

48:08

American independence and the forming of

48:10

the new nation. Diane, you make the case in

48:12

your book, At the Table of Power, that there

48:14

has been a movement to erase these African

48:16

and African-American contributions to

48:19

United States history, and I

48:21

wonder if you would tell us about this

48:23

erasure movement and why your work is so

48:25

necessary. Yes, and it has to

48:27

do with the American culinary

48:29

master narrative. It's what I

48:32

call culinary apartheid, theft, and

48:34

erasure of African-African-American

48:37

culinary achievements,

48:39

and the assigning of those achievements

48:41

to others. It is another expression

48:44

of racism that opposed the

48:46

law of white supremacy by

48:48

means of slavery jurisprudence, laws

48:51

created and enforced and court

48:53

decisions handed down. during the

48:55

era of slavery. The Slavery

48:58

Jurisprudence legitimizes

49:00

culinary apartheid and

49:03

upholds now, as it did

49:05

during slavery, the interrelationship

49:07

between the American

49:09

judicial system and

49:12

institutionalized racism. Culinary

49:14

apartheid applies to the African

49:16

cook in American culinary

49:19

history. Many of us are

49:21

aware that numerous cook were

49:23

compiled and published by... Southern white

49:26

women after the end of the

49:28

Civil War, the recipes in these

49:30

cookbooks were hailed as the creations

49:32

of the white women who had

49:34

them published. The recipes

49:36

actually were the creations of

49:39

the African women and men

49:41

who served them, and they were the

49:43

creations which the white women wrote

49:45

down and had published in their

49:47

own names as authors. And some

49:49

of these books contained a rare

49:52

reference to a black cook. And

49:54

they were easy to spot. These cooks

49:56

were always called by their first

49:58

names or the first names. was

50:00

preceded by the term aunt, uncle,

50:02

or mammy. And the identities of

50:05

the actual enslaved Africans who

50:07

created these recipes and all

50:09

references to them were in

50:11

this way erased from history.

50:13

And this was certainly the

50:15

means to an end because the

50:17

end of the Civil War fostered

50:20

the attempt to forge white southern

50:22

nationalism. And in this case it

50:24

centered around food. Africans which

50:26

played no part in this

50:28

nationalism. so that in promoting southern

50:31

white culture, the concept of

50:33

southern cooking started out as

50:35

whites only cuisine with an

50:37

imperialist mindset, steeped

50:39

in colonialist values,

50:41

whites have taken recipes

50:44

and cooking methods

50:46

of African-African-American creation

50:48

and creativity, claimed

50:50

the recipes and the creativity,

50:53

renamed them and bulldozed the

50:55

names of and reference to

50:57

the originators. into oblivion. So

50:59

with regard to what African-American chefs

51:02

cooks and caterers produce, as

51:04

far as I'm concerned slavery

51:06

has never ended, there has always

51:09

been an unwritten law that allowed

51:11

theft with impunity of

51:13

African-American culture and music

51:15

and cooking and cuisine have

51:18

always been among those aspects

51:20

of African-American culture most vulnerable

51:23

to theft and it was never

51:25

necessary to announce out loud the

51:27

intent. or the common understanding

51:29

that it was all right to take whatever

51:32

those who control wanted. Diane, what

51:34

is one thing that you wish more

51:37

Americans understood about

51:39

African and African-American

51:41

culinary history and the

51:44

contributions that African

51:46

and African-American cooks bakers

51:48

and chefs have made to United

51:50

States history? I would say the foundation

51:53

of America's... National cuisine was

51:55

formulated in the pots and

51:57

cauldrons of America's southern black

52:00

cooks. Africans dominated

52:02

American kitchens from the

52:04

1600s on and stood at the

52:06

helm as creative head chefs of

52:08

farms and plantations, restaurants,

52:11

hotels, stingbows, lodges, and

52:13

private clubs, trains, and

52:15

private homes of the at least. And

52:18

when I say dominated, I mean

52:20

that White stood back on

52:22

this occasion and offered only

52:24

one contribution. Their appetites. However,

52:26

the African contribution has been

52:29

bulldozed in many cases, pushed

52:31

to the periphery of and is

52:33

a mere footnote in American culinary

52:35

history. Part of the process of

52:38

making Africans and their

52:40

descendants invisible in culinary

52:42

history is having their

52:44

creations and contributions to

52:46

culture and politics largely

52:48

ignored. Everything that they created

52:51

is credited to Europeans and

52:53

to just about everybody else.

52:55

The truth is. African cultural

52:57

retention and continuity can be

53:00

observed in and permeate not

53:02

only African American culture but

53:04

white Americas as well by

53:06

virtue of the black hand in virtually

53:09

every aspect of American culture.

53:11

Africanisms are present in

53:13

many aspects of life of

53:16

the white population of this

53:18

country particularly in American music,

53:20

speech, manners, religious expression

53:22

and without any doubt cooking

53:25

and cuisine. Now, there are

53:27

local differences in cooking

53:29

traditions, but it needs

53:31

to be understood that

53:33

the cuisine of, say, Richmond,

53:35

Virginia, is no more an

53:38

adaptation of that of England

53:40

than the dishes served in

53:42

New Orleans, are those of France.

53:44

It's time for our segment

53:47

1776 in context. As we're

53:49

in the thick of the 250th anniversary

53:51

of the American Revolution,

53:54

I think your research into the contributions

53:57

and culinary accomplishments of black chefs cooks

53:59

and bakers can help us

54:01

better understand the American Revolution. Well,

54:04

there would not have been an

54:06

American Revolution without the contributions

54:08

of black chefs, cooks, and

54:10

bakers. In the

54:13

1930s, it kind of

54:15

reiterated that notation. The

54:17

person was Frederick Haskin who

54:19

wrote about the place of cooks and

54:21

history being overlooked and

54:24

underestimated. And

54:26

you can say that

54:28

again with regard to

54:30

their contribution to that

54:32

revolution. I mean, Hannah Till

54:34

and her husband Isaac, personal

54:37

chef to Washington preparing meals

54:39

for him and his troops

54:41

during that grueling winter at

54:43

Valley Forge. She cooked for

54:45

Marquis de Lafayette, Cyrus

54:47

Bustille, a baker,

54:49

supplied to Patriot troops. He sold

54:51

biscuits, cakes, and breads for

54:53

many years on credit and profit.

54:55

And after the outbreak of

54:58

the American Revolution, Bustille was the

55:00

supplier for the American forces

55:02

for his area. And of

55:04

course, Samuel Francis, who

55:06

fed Washington and his troops

55:08

sometimes for free. Cuffee

55:10

cockroach, said to be the

55:12

first caterer of Newport, Rhode

55:14

Island. Also charity, Dutchess

55:16

Quamino, the pastry and

55:18

baked goods queen of

55:21

Rhode Island during the

55:23

occupation of Newport by foreign

55:25

troops. Jean Baptiste de

55:27

Rocheinbaugh praised her

55:29

cuisine, which she cooked for

55:31

him and his troops. And of

55:33

course, there were many other Africans

55:35

who fed the Revolutionary Army. And

55:38

a couple of those names the public

55:40

might have heard before, but many

55:42

more are never mentioned in a

55:44

way that the public would be

55:46

familiar with them. So this is

55:48

why it's important to reconstruct the

55:50

true culinary history of African America. When

55:53

I think about researching the

55:55

area of African American

55:57

culinary history that warrants attention

55:59

to its culinary

56:02

contributions and accomplishments,

56:04

I am reminded

56:06

of Judge A.

56:08

Leon Higginbotham's precepts

56:10

on African-American slavery

56:12

jurisprudence as they apply to

56:15

culinary apartheid, a part of

56:17

the precept he notes called powerlessness,

56:20

tells us that without knowledge

56:22

of your own culture, culinary,

56:24

and otherwise, you are powerless.

56:26

and are bound to remain

56:28

in and accept the false

56:31

master narrative. Diane, you've written

56:33

many articles and two books

56:35

about culinary history. Is there

56:37

another research project that

56:39

you're working on now? There is.

56:42

I've actually just completed a third

56:44

book. Once you go black, you

56:46

never go back. The National and

56:48

International Impact of

56:51

African-American cuisine in

56:53

the 19th and 20th centuries.

56:55

It should be out in

56:58

a few weeks. And this

57:00

particular book, it explores the

57:03

national and international impact of

57:05

African-American cuisine in the 19th

57:08

and 20th centuries. It looks

57:10

at the businesses that African-Americans

57:12

were able to

57:14

open and develop despite

57:17

the demise of reconstruction

57:19

and the ensuing loss put

57:21

into effect to curtail. any

57:24

type of self-help that

57:26

black Americans were trying to

57:28

establish. It showcases a number

57:30

of caterers and restaurant tours

57:32

and hotel owners and others

57:34

in food service who became

57:36

successful, not only here, but also

57:39

in Europe, specifically France. So it

57:41

was an interesting project

57:43

as well. Now if we have more

57:45

questions about African and African-American

57:48

culinary history in the

57:50

United States or If we

57:52

want to follow your work more closely, where

57:55

is the best place for us to get

57:57

in contact with you? Email address

57:59

is Diane. underscore and then the

58:01

last name Spivey at Comcast dot

58:03

net. Diane Spivey, thank you for

58:06

helping us better understand the culinary

58:08

history of the United States

58:11

through African and African-American cooking

58:13

and foodways. Well, thank you

58:15

so much for having me. I

58:17

appreciate that very much. African

58:20

and African-American cooking has had

58:22

a significant impact on the history

58:24

of North America and the founding

58:27

of the United States. Although

58:29

enslaved... Africans had a lot

58:31

to offer European colonists, not only through

58:33

their labor, but also through their knowledge

58:35

and intelligence. Through their extensive

58:38

knowledge of crops, farming techniques,

58:40

and spices, enslaved Africans kept

58:42

European colonists fed. colonists not

58:44

only consumed rice, seafood, turtles, and

58:47

other nutritious foods, they consumed them

58:49

in African ways, through gumbo, turtle soup,

58:51

and rice and bean dishes. Then,

58:53

African-American cooks, bakers, and chefs,

58:55

prepared the dishes that kept the

58:58

continental army going. We heard about Hannah

59:00

and Isaac Till, who kept George Washington

59:02

and his officers fed at Valley Forge,

59:04

how the bakers in Rhode Island supplied

59:06

bread for troops, and how some other

59:08

chefs prepared dishes for the United States'

59:10

French allies. Plus, Samuel Francis was not

59:12

only said to keep American prisoners of

59:14

war fed, he may have also been

59:16

a spy for the revolutionaries. And then,

59:19

of course, there's the example of the

59:21

Romand family of Salem, Massachusetts. The

59:23

Romans used their cooking to better their

59:25

economic station, and with that money.

59:27

They educated their children and helped

59:29

where they could to support the

59:31

anti-slavery and abolition movements. Now, although

59:34

cooking has historically been looked down upon

59:36

as menial labor, the work of blacks

59:38

and women, African-American men and women

59:40

created opportunities to support causes that

59:43

they believed in through their cooking

59:45

and culinary prowess, causes like the

59:47

founding of the United States and working to

59:50

keep it true to its founding principles

59:52

of liberty and equality. Look

59:54

for more information about Diane her book

59:56

at the table of power plus notes

59:58

links and a train for everything we talked

1:00:01

about today, all in the show notes page.

1:00:03

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Finally, you've been asking for more

1:00:32

episodes about food history. So what

1:00:34

other food histories or culinary

1:00:36

experiences would you like to

1:00:39

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1:00:41

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1:00:44

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