It’s Black History Month!

Get into some of my favorite heritage food highlights.

Black History Month is a time when the accomplishments of Black people living in America are highlighted and celebrated. The very premise of Black History month is incredibly complicated because Black Americans are just as American as every other American yet have not been afforded equal or equitable access to call ourselves American. If we think about American history from that perspective, it makes sense that we would need a clear and dedicated month  to highlight the contributions of Black Americans to American society. 

Truthfully, we would need more than an entire month to make it through the list of accolades and contributions that have built this country, anchored its cultural capital, and reached beyond continental borders. The contributions of Black Americans are integral to American history and should be woven into the fabric of our day-to-day lives. We should celebrate this month and all through the year. 

As a dietitian who is a first-generation American with roots throughout the Creole and English-speaking Caribbean, I think about the intersection of food, culture, and history. I am proud and excited to be in the food and nutrition space and use my voice and credentialed expertise to highlight how food and food culture have been enriched by innumerous PPP contributions from Black Americans and other hyphenated groups from the African diaspora  who have had a long-time presence in this country. Black food is American food that has been influenced by colonization, migration, and marginalization. It’s familiar and the backbone of many American kitchens. 

I’d like to highlight three ingredients that are representative of African culinary traditions and have migrated to Latin America, The Caribbean, North America, and Europe. These ingredients are very much a part of Black foodways in that there are many culinary applications that utilize these ingredients all with their own flavor profile. 

Plantain

Names & Pronunciation

• Can be pronounced differently depending on where you are from:
  • Plan-TAYNE or Plan-TIN are both used
• Usually called plantain and doesn’t have an alternative name, although some people may use it interchangeably with banana, it is not a banana. 
  • There are plantain leaves – not to be confused with this plantain, which is a different plant but is called the same thing.

Nutrition Highlight

• Rich source of complex carbohydrates
• High in vitamin C and potassium

Cooking

Airfryer Plantains
Vegan Caribbean Plantain Curry

Nutrition Facts (Plantain, yellow, raw)

Cassava

Names/Pronunciation

• Grown in tropical climates including Africa and the Caribbean
• Alternate names include Cassava, manioc, yuca, tapioca (Manihot esculenta)
• “Kuh-saa-vah”

Nutrition Highlight 

• High in vitamin C
• Contains resistant starch, that acts as a prebiotic fiber that supports gut health

Bring cassava into your kitchen!

Cassava must be cooked and should not be consumed raw it contains volatile compounds that can be harmful to the human body. You can peel it, soak it, and cook it! 

Cassava Fritters
Bammy

Nutrition Facts (Cassava, raw)

Scotch Bonnet

Names/Pronunciation

• Latin name is capsicum chinense
• Caribbean pepper, booney pepper, Boabs Bonnet, Scotty Bons, Goat pepper, Jamaican Hot, Bahamian pepper, Martinique pepper
• “Skaach baa-nuht” 

Nutrition Highlights  

• High in amino acids
• High in B vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin C, carotenoids, and phenolic substances (antioxidant properties) 
• Source of phytochemicals and dietary fiber

Uses

• Frequently used to spice up foods and soups in addition to a variety of therapeutic benefits
• Contain vitamins and amino acids. Can be used to treat pain disorders (headaches, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and severe diabetic neuropathy) 

Want to try cooking with this got pepper?  

Jamaican Cabbage 
Instant Pot Jamaican Jerk Chicken
Scotch Bonnet Hot Pepper Sauce

Where ever you are, I encourage you to visit and support a Black-owned restaurant or cafe. We know that Black food and culture are not monolithic, which means you may have the opportunity to experience foods and flavors that are representative of the larger African diaspora, including the culinary traditions and foodways of America. In Haitian kreyòl, when the food is especially tasty, they use the idiom “Koupé Dwèt” which means literally “cut finger”. Don’t bite off your fingertips when savoring the delicious flavors! 

Sources:

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/pronunciation/english/cassava Accessed Jan 25, 2023

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/pronunciation/english/plantain Accessed Jan 25, 2023

https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/plantain-nutrition-benefits#antioxidants Accessed Jan 25, 2023

https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169130/nutrients Accessed Jan 25, 2023

Siddiq, M., & Uebersax, M. A. (Eds.). (2018). Handbook of vegetables and vegetable processing. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. Created from wcupa on 2023-01-25 15:36:24.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/scotch-bonnet Accessed Jan 25, 2023

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cassava#benefits Accessed Jan 25, 2023

Dobranowski, P. A., & Stintzi, A. (2021). Resistant starch, microbiome, and precision modulation. Gut microbes, 13(1), 1926842. https://doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2021.1926842

https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169985/nutrients Accessed Jan 25, 2023

Adewole, E., Olori, H., Ojo, A., Adewumi, F., Ogunmodede, O., Oludoro, T., Peters, O., Akinwale, H., Agboola, K., & Adegbite, S. (2022). Identification of amino acids and B-vitamins in scotch bonnet pepper (Capsicum chinense) using an HPLC-UV detector. Food Science and Technology, 10(3), 89-11.  10.13189/fst.2022.100303