what did slaves eat on plantations

He spent his first nine years of life an enslaved child on the piedmont Virginia tobacco plantation. The 'extreme cruelty' around the global trade in frog legs, What does cancer smell like? They were shipped from ports in West Africa to European colonies in the Americas. [8] A. T. Goodloe, Management of Negroes, Southern Cultivator, 18 (1860), 130. Photo by Henry P. Moore. By some estimates, it is said that some ten million Africans were brought to the Americas. Being the power center of the world at the time, they exploited the New World and Africa to industrialize. With the 19th-century abolition of slavery, plantations continued to grow sugar cane, but sugar beets, which can be grown in temperate climates, increased their share of the sugar market. Choosing to buy control of ones own body affirmed a slaves status as chattel, even as that commodity transaction broke the chains of servitude completely. The next time you sit down to a piece of cornbread, a stewed gumbo, or a roasted sweet potato, take a moment to reflect on the story of this food. 30. . It also ties us to the past. I top them with broccoli and red chili paste, Roasted Corn with Garlic Shallot Buttah, able to survive by hunting, fishing, and gardening. 2, 297. Honor that past with gratitude and unity. A National Geographic team has made the first ascent of the remote Mount Michael, looking for a lava lake in the volcanos crater. House slave was a term used to refer to those enslaved Africans relegated to performing domestic work on American slave plantations. There were over 100 plantation owners who owned over 100 slaves. In Ehtiopia, injera bread serves the same purpose. Rice and Beans. Manufactured goods, of higher value, were then sold both to Africa and the New World. Booker T. Washington was born a slave on the Burroughs plantation in Franklin County, Virginia on April 5, 1856. These have been a great deal of fun to work on, and I love getting feedback from readers. They often ate the entrails and appendages of farm animals, including pig's feet, cow's tongue, liver and oxtail. 2014. What do slaves want with money? he asked rhetorically. Her story might have been lost if Shields had not dug through news articles and obituaries to re-create her life. The system was largely run by European merchants[6]. He came to the North Carolina conference with a yellowed letter, a rare piece of history addressed from his great-grandmother to his grandmother, detailing how and where to plant corn, sweet potatoes, sugar cane, and watermelon. Slaveholders imagined themselves as models of economic propriety and their memoirs reveal much moralizing over choices made by their slaves. The actual origins of Callaloo are widely contested. The slaves made up 80% of the property value of the plantation. While it might be fun to think about boiled sweet potatoes and cornbread, we must also remember the dark truth of slavery. The slaves had to work for long hours under the scorching heat daily. Offerings such as pepper pot, okra stew, gumbo, and jambalaya became staples on American dining tables. They . Food supplies The plantation owners provided their enslaved Africans with weekly rations of salt herrings or mackerel, sweet potatoes, and maize, and sometimes salted West Indian turtle.The enslaved Africans supplemented their diet with other kinds of wild food. [3], The internal economy allowed enslaved people to attempt to bridge this material gap. After being established in the Caribbean islands, the plantation system spread during the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries to European colonies in the Americas and Asia. Well cook three representative dishes, each of which can help us understand a slightly different aspect of the food experiences of the Revolutionary Era slave. In Brazil, plantations were called casas grandes and suffered from similar issues. Cultivation of sugar had to follow a precise scientific system to profit from the production. While I had not anticipated the womans displeasure, trying to forget is not an uncommon response to the unsettling tale of the complicated roots of our history, and particularly some of our beloved foods. "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. You can find their faces throughout early 20th-century black Americana, and they are still on the grocery shelves today, though modified to reflect a more dignified image. It became a small way for slaves to create their own personal space. Perhaps the easiest way to monitor slave spending was through the operation of a plantation store. "Everybody needs to keep in touch with their ancestors, and through food is one of the best ways to get close," she says. Worse, they did not know the value of a dollar, allowing vendors to take advantage of their lack of consumer savvy. 2, 149; Ibid., 12, pt. 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. Heres why each season begins twice. I delivered the talk to an audience of 30 at the Maier Museum of Art in Lynchburg, Virginia. favorite foods. ~:J3c5T~84.6kcA9jrapbZWVP~t,KERdK2Zp28i6B In the American South, okra is probably most well-known as the ingredient found in gumbo. The stories of enslaved cooks teach us that we can love our country and also be critical of it, and find some peace along the way. And, they still play a role in our modern diet. A slave who owned chickens or pigs would not run away, some argued. Yet, this technique draws directly from Africa. Sources are exceptionally scarce and contemporary recipes are nonexistent, but we can reconstruct some idea of what the table in the slaves quarters might have offered to maintain these unfortunate souls in their labors. My favorite plant-based okra recipe involves a quick saute with garlic, tomato, and herbs. While newly free African Americans fled the plantations to find work as housekeepers, butlers, cooks, drivers, Pullman porters and waitersthe only jobs they could getAunt Jemima and Rastus smiled while serving white folks, enhancing the myth that black cooks had always been cheerful and satisfied, during slavery and with their current situation. It is often smoked or roasted at Fall Pumpkin festivals. Weekly food rations usually corn meal, lard, some meat, molasses, peas, greens, and flour were distributed every Saturday. On plantations, African American slaves did the same thing. Tableware, too, attracted slave cash, as did toiletries, watches, and tools.[7]. I am wondering, however, about the timing of Mr. A diet consisting of chicken products, molasses, bacon, and wine is one that would be highly appreciated during the 19thcentury. X11ej9G}R)\.}F5aj??*? 112 N. Bryan Ave., Bloomington, IN 47408 In a world where masters doled out rudimentary food and raiment, enslaved people most often spent cash to augment allotments, introduce variety to clothing or diets, and, sometimes, to acquire goods or participate in activities otherwise banned. Another ingredient that came from Africa was okra. 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. Some indentured servants were also leaving to start their own farms as land was widely available. . The master class scraped to make ends meet. Edit View history The health of slaves on American plantations was a matter of concern to both slaves and their owners. In my recent study of enslaved cooks, I relied on archaeological evidence and material culturethe rooms where they once lived, the heavy cast iron pots they lugged around, the gardens they plantedand documents such as slaveholders letters, cookbooks, and plantation records to learn about their experiences. "They could have been gone 300 years ago, but to say my great-great-great-grandparents used to use this and cook this and plant this, that gives you a good feeling.". Most Southern Soul Food dinners will include a big pot of stewed greens. In Ghana and Nigeria, fufu is a starchy mash used to sop up the broth at the bottom of bowl of stew. More troubling to slaveholders, enslaved people also bought stolen goods in a thriving interracial network of underground exchange. Grits are today considered a staple of the Southern diet, but they were, in fact, a classic merger of the Old World and the New. His great-great-great grandfather Jupiter Gilliard, the man who purchased the farm, was born a slave in 1812. Slavery had associated with it the health problems commonly associated with poverty. When the pot of greens was eaten, there would still be the flavorful broth, called potlicker. What did the slaves eat? Africans made up 40 percent of the Souths population.[1]. 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. These animals can sniff it out. 2. He urged masters to pay for the goods themselves, always rewarding more liberally those that have performed their duty best. Other slaveholders took a more relaxed approach, allowing slaves to make purchases with their own money, but restricting when and where they could trade. It was only a matter of time before hominy was ground and boiled, and the result became an easy (and cheap) food to sustain both slaves and slaveholders. Jeff Forret and Christine Sears (2015). "The strange dishes they were serving us weren't strange to me, because I was going, 'Hey, we eat this back home.' Would masters renege on sales or manipulate prices beyond reach? 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. 2 cups (450 ml) grits (regular, not instant). However, because the availability of ham and even bell peppers, typical of the later dish, would likely have been limited, weve stuck with a much more limited selection of ingredients for our recipe. Joyner Rare E444.B58, Special Collections Department, J.Y. Peddlers and wagoners roved from farm to plantation, selling trinkets, candies, cakes, and often alcohol. Over 400 years, nearly 13 million Africans were kidnapped and imprisoned on European slave ships bound for the Americas. 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. Culinary historian and author Jessica Harris says food traditions hold symbols and meaning that serve as a historical roadmap. Her own mission is to make sure that the contribution of slaves to America's culinary traditions isn't forgotten. These large homes marked a moment of transition, when English cultural norms took hold on the Virginia landscape. Angelique "Sobande" Moss-Greer, herbalist, certified holistic nutritionist and great-granddaughter of a slave, says that many slave owners would not allow . black-eyed Peas. 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. In fact, rice is one of the ingredients slave traders brought with them on their trans-Atlantic voyages from Africa. Some indentured servants were also leaving to . Should they free themselves individually or wait until they had saved enough to buy kin as well? "It's important to continue this conversation, about who brought what [to America] and why we eat what [we eat]," he says. Once landed, the survivors were sold as chattel labor to work colonial mines and plantations. In a burgeoning market society, finding goods for sale was not terribly difficult, as store merchants were more than happy to take slaves cash. A mans world? Information about diet and food production for enslaved Africans on plantations. I also love adding greens to stews like my West African Peanut Butter Curry Stew. During the time of slavery, African Americans brought with them the food traditions from their native lands. Collards would probably be classed as cool and dry, and would nicely balance the warm and wet nature of the rice and beans. 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. Reckoning with it can be cumbersome, but its also necessary. Southern foodenslaved cooks foodhad been written into the American cultural profile. Why wetlands are so critical for life on Earth, Rest in compost? Retrieved from, Stephen Behrendt (1999). In the rice-growing lowcountry of South Carolina and Georgia, enslaved men and women usually labored according to the task system. Under this scheme, planters or overseers assigned each laborer a daily task, hoeing a portion of field, for example, or pounding so many mortars of rice. The plantation system was based on slave labor and it was marked by inhumane methods of exploitation. (19721978), 15, pt. In many areas, however, it was customary for slaves to work Saturday afternoons and Sundays on their own time, devoting daylight hours to cash-earning activities similar to that of their lowcountry brethren. 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. Underneath the slave ship's decks, Africans were held chest-to-chest and could not do much moving. Such paradoxes troubled more than a few, but practical concerns and a desire for labors just reward pushed them to work extra hours, save cash, and put plans in motion to make freedom theirs. In a highly racialized and segregated America, still grappling with its guilt over slavery, white people created a myth that these cooks wereand always had beenhappy. These staples of our modern diets are part of our culture now because slaves smuggled them and cultivated them, sometimes in secret. The plantation owners then turned to enslaved Africans for labor. The slaves in America didnt have fufu or injera. "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. [6] Esther S. Davis, Memories of Mulberry (1913), 15. [1] Charles Ball, Fifty Years in Chains; or, the Life of an American Slave (1859), 129. They roasted meats, made jellies, cooked puddings, and crafted desserts, preparing several meals a day for the white family. They constructed potato holes, often near the fire, where they would bury their sweet potatoes. 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. So why cant we, as Americans today, look at this history for what it was? 2023 Smithsonian Magazine What is wind chill, and how does it affect your body? 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.. For most, these questions were no more than abstractions, as few enslaved people managed to purchase themselves. 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. At first, the cooks they hired on plantations were indentured servants, workers who toiled without pay for a contractually agreed-upon period of time before eventually earning their freedom. During the slave trade, they brought with them their appreciation for okra, including it in stews that are signature to Soul food. In cotton and tobacco regions, enslaved people more often worked from sunup to sundown under the close eye of a driver or overseer. Think leafy greens and black-eyed. Can we bring a species back from the brink?, Video Story, Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. While the missus may have helped design the menu, or provided some recipes, it was the enslaved cooks who created the meals that made Virginia, and eventually the South, known for its culinary fare and hospitable nature. Your email address will not be published. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent it from scorching, until peas are tender (30 minutes to an hour if using fresh or frozen peas; up to two hours for dry). This was called mush. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2009. Corn was one of the most versatile crops eaten by American Slaves. Morning meals were prepared and consumed at daybreak in the slaves' cabins. Make no mistake: this was taxing work in often stifling and deadly environments, but even so, some slaves were able to complete daily tasks early and earn time for themselves. We feature smart, groundbreaking research and well-written narratives from expert writers. It is the story of people like Chef Hercules, George Washington's chef; and Emmanuel Jones, who used his skills to transition out of enslavement into a successful career cooking in the food industry, evading the oppressive trappings of sharecropping. Availalbe for use through Wiki Commons. Planter James Goodloe posed two questions to readers of the Southern Cultivator in 1860. A food historian, Twitty re-creates the meals slaves would have made on plantations using 18th-century tools and ingredients - some of which we eat today.