No Result
View All Result
  • Login
Emily CottonTop
  • Home
  • Lifestyle
    • Love And Relationships
    • Fashion
  • Hair
    • Celebrity Hair
    • Hairstyles
    • Protective Styles
  • Beauty
    • Make up
    • Skin Care
    • Wellness
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • Music
    • Movies
  • Shopping
  • Home
  • Lifestyle
    • Love And Relationships
    • Fashion
  • Hair
    • Celebrity Hair
    • Hairstyles
    • Protective Styles
  • Beauty
    • Make up
    • Skin Care
    • Wellness
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • Music
    • Movies
  • Shopping
No Result
View All Result
Emily CottonTop
No Result
View All Result

Here Are Your 5 Favorite Thanksgiving Dishes’ Black Roots

Here’s the real meaning behind our favorite dishes.

Fredrick Ochami by Fredrick Ochami
November 19, 2023
in Lifestyle
0
Thanksgiving dishes

Photo credit: Essence

Did you know that there are Black roots behind some of your favorite Thanksgiving dishes?

For the Black community, Thanksgiving meals started as church-based celebrations speaking out against slavery.

The African American Registry confirmed this:

“Thanksgiving expression for the American Black community began as a church-based celebration. Black pastors often gave sermons that could be heard loud and clear through the many small Black churches. The sermons would be about struggles, hopes, fears, and triumphs. The sermons usually grieved the institution of slavery; the suffering of the Black people; and often pleaded for that an awakening of a slave-free America would someday come soon.”

Thanksgiving dishes–or soul food–took a special meaning in the community.

In fact, Adrian Miller (who wrote “Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time”) insisted that soul food is the same as holiday food.

So, let’s look at these Thanksgiving meals and their distinct backgrounds.

Collard Greens

Thanksgiving dishes
Photo credit: Southern Living

According to the LATIBAL Collard Green Museum, collard greens were among the few vegetables the Black community could grow and harvest for themselves while enslaved.

So, these vegetables became a Black traditional food as the community kept growing them even after emancipation in the late 1800s.

In fact, collard greens recipes have been handed down from generation to generation until today.

Mac And Cheese

Thanksgiving dishes
Photo credit: Divas Can Cook

James Hemings was a slave to Thomas Jefferson at only 8.

When Hemings turned 19, Jefferson took him to France so he could learn French cooking.

Hemings learned to cook macaroni pie using boiling water and milk.

He brought the recipe home, and it evolved into today’s mac and cheese.

According to Ebony, Hemings would place “sharp American cheese in between layers of butter and milk-coated macaroni. Then baked in a Dutch oven over an open-hearth fireplace stove with hot coals placed on the pot’s lid to bake.”

Cornbread

Thanksgiving dishes
Photo credit: Food & Wine

Dr. Frederick Douglass Opie, a professor of history and foodways at Babson College in Massachusetts, believes cornbread came to be as a survival technique.

“A lot of those things that were a part of our cuisine come out of survival techniques…During the week, enslaved people ate things like hoecakes, cornbread or ashcakes—when you take the cornmeal and combine it with water and you cook that actual cake over ashes.”

And that’s how cornmeal became a crucial supplement to enslaved persons and one of the unmissable Thanksgiving dishes.

Sweet Potato Pie

Thanksgiving dishes
Photo credit: The Soul Food Pot

Sweet potato pie is related to the British carrot pie dessert, but probably existed because of its relation to the African American community.

Before pies exploded in popularity across the country, slaves ate them.

They then became a Thanksgiving staple for the Black community. 

Stuffing

Thanksgiving dishes
Photo credit: Serious Eats

Back in the day, slaves only received basic ingredients, so they could barely survive.

However, they used those basic ingredients to make something special.

They made kush, a cornbread scramble that became so popular that it transcended racial barriers, became one of the essential Thanksgiving dishes, and even whites started making it.

And That’s Your History Of Black Thanksgiving Dishes

Thanksgiving dishes
Photo credit: Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

From the humble collard greens to James Hemings’ complicated mac and cheese, each of these Thanksgiving dishes represents Black history and culture.

Which dish will you have this Thanksgiving?

Tags: foodThanksgiving
Previous Post

Got A Thanksgiving Hangover? Here Are 6 Effective Ways To Get Rid Of It

Next Post

Target & Amazon Dropped The Prices Of Hundred Of Kitchen And Dining Items Ahead Of Thanksgiving – Upto 70% Off

Next Post
kitchen and dining essentials 2023

Target & Amazon Dropped The Prices Of Hundred Of Kitchen And Dining Items Ahead Of Thanksgiving – Upto 70% Off

We Want To Write About Your Business

Recent News

Cam Newton Gets Real with K. Michelle – Breaking Down Love, The Black Family And Black Healing

June 14, 2025

DDG Apologizes About His Relationship Drama With Halle Bailey: “I Was Just on an Internet High”

June 14, 2025

Kanye West Pulls Up to Diddy’s Trial in NYC—and the Internet Has Questions

June 13, 2025

About Us

Emily CottonTop is a daily updated blog about hair, beauty, and everyday cultural moments from all over the world.

Follow Us

Editor Picks

Cam Newton Gets Real with K. Michelle – Breaking Down Love, The Black Family And Black Healing

by Emily Cottontop
June 14, 2025
0

As we know Cam Newton has moved into a different kind of spotlight, it’s not...

DDG Apologizes About His Relationship Drama With Halle Bailey: “I Was Just on an Internet High”

by Emily Cottontop
June 14, 2025
0

After months of speculation and criticism, DDG is taking full accountability for the drama surrounding...

Kanye West Pulls Up to Diddy’s Trial in NYC—and the Internet Has Questions

by Emily Cottontop
June 13, 2025
0

Chile… Ye is outside. Kanye West was spotted walking into a Manhattan federal courthouse Friday...

Popular Category

  • Entertainment
  • Celebrity
  • Celebrity Hair
  • Business
  • Beauty
  • Skin Care
  • Wellness
  • Regimen Advice
  • Entertainment
  • Celebrity
  • Celebrity Hair
  • Business
  • Beauty
  • Skin Care
  • Wellness
  • Regimen Advice

© 2024 Emily CottonTop, All Rights Reserved.

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclosure

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Lifestyle
    • Love And Relationships
    • Fashion
  • Hair
    • Celebrity Hair
    • Hairstyles
    • Protective Styles
  • Beauty
    • Make up
    • Skin Care
    • Wellness
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • Music
    • Movies
  • Shopping

© 2025 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.