I’m only 90 seconds in, but starting out with Princess Pamela and having Dr. Jessica B. Harris in the first 90 seconds has made me _really_ excited for this video. I studied Soul Food while in college, and it’s history is often overlooked as well as much of what it actually is is erased. Seeing that in the first 1:30 is really exciting/promising! One thing: the origin of the term ‘Soul Food’ likely originates from W. E. B. DuBois’ essay, _The Soul of Black Folk,_ not from Shakespeare or the Church. Also: OMG! The discussion of celebration food vs everyday food is so important & I’m so happy y’all included it! Although the pioneer of that term is Alice Randall & Caroline Randall-Williams in their book, _Soul Food Love._ Another thing: the _real_ day for celebration food for enslaved people was the 4th of July (Frederick Douglass wrote fairly extensively about it). The food cooked on that day was part of the origin of barbecue. Also: Sylvia Woods, Leah Chase, & Edna Lewis ❤️ This is a phenomenal video. Really well done.
Aw thank you! It sounds like we could've had you as a guest! The Shakespeare thing was definitely tenuous- we tried to word it that way- but we thought it was pretty cool to see how the term had evolved over the years. I'm curious, since you seem quite informed on the topic: any pioneers in the cuisine who you think get overlooked? Or favorite stories/facts related to soul food?
Michael Twitty, Adrian E. Miller, & Alice Randall would’ve been some other good people to speak to who have been pioneers both in the cuisine and our understanding of Soul Food. But like it also depends on what you mean by pioneer, because people like even Elijah Muhammad and Maya Angelou have been influential. Another good person to look at would be Rufus Estes. If you want to look at a modern chef, Marcus Samuelsson would be great. Oh! And also Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor, and American anthropologist and author of _Vibration Cooking_ (and some other cookbooks), she would’ve been a GREAT person to look into for this. I mean, there’s a lot, but for a sub-20 minute video y’all did a great job. Edit: if there were only 2 more people you should’ve referenced/included, I’d say Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor & Michael Twitty would be the two best/most important to include.
Really excellent video. Some Latin American dishes also have a connection to Africa because of the slave trade, it's a marriage of native dishes, European and African. It's certainly important to look at some of the things we eat and understand its history, it connects us to each other and also the people who came before us.
You do a great job here, bro. I'm from Alabama, and the denial runs pretty deep here about the black contribution to Southern Culture, on so many levels. After the confederate loss of the Civil War, white folks had to start eating what the black folks had been living on. 75% of Southern Cuisine is indistinguishable from "Soul Food," because we all lived side by side, using the same humble ingredients, and the white folks copied the black folks. Don't get me started on music. Oh, yeah, I'm white, btw.
The origins of these foods are very well recorded. To say white people copied blacks is just ahistorical. The truth is white people and black people in the south share a lot of the same culture because they lived so close to one another in really intimate conditions. No racial group can really lay claim to all of american culture, certainly not black Americans.
OMG I asked for a sign to continue my own TH-cam channel - you gave it to me today with the shout out Justin!! Thank you!!! By the way I met Dr Harris at an Essence magazine event eons ago. PS - love the shirt
Yay! We really do appreciate all the suggestions. Food is such a huge topic, it always helps when a comment sparks a conversation in the office (that is...back when we were in an office 😕).
Thank you for this. I love my people, culture, and the energy that we ARE. We have contributed greatly to a land that still doesn't feel like home to us... But at least we have soul and food. ❤ 🖤 💚
You just made me realise something. In Jamaica, we say "nyam" which means to eat which must come from a West African language like you said. Mind blown!
What an eye opening history. It’s incredible how the story of soul food is so intrinsically tied to the struggle and perseverance of African Americans through history. It reminds me of when I learned that Jerk Chicken is prepared and smoked without they way is was by escaped slaves specifically to evade the slave owners that were looking for them.
White girl here. Not a fan of sweet potatoes, but I LOVE okra! And collards cooked with ham hocks, corn bread, black-eyed peas and fried fish. There is so much in the culinary world to explore! And it's all right here.
I’m no bleeding heart. I don’t put black squares on IG. But that was powerful and insightful. That chef from ICE brought me to tears when I heard his reverence for soul food and what it means to him. I now can understand why some black peoples refuse to eat fried chicken in public. The unkind and hateful cultures have embarrassed him into forgetting his history and his specific generational strife. That unawareness leads to low brow ridicule and unintended cruelty. I won’t censor others or myself. But if I do engage in cheap jokes and snickers, I’ll be sure to follow up with an even more forceful commentary on our “jokes” possible unintended consequences. As low vibration as it is to not give it any more thought to our silly words, I’ll always follow up with a push for a higher understanding of the meaning of “soul food”. The beauty of it when it’s contextualized is to tell the story of human struggle and perseverance. Thank you
Fried chicken the glue that holds the world together regardless of skin colour etc.. Well unless you're vegan or even vegetarian then my condolences. 🤷♂️
absolutely love how the chef has briefly but s powerfully expressed his respect and adoration towards the soul food and its history... very talented and spiritually advanced man!! ty for this video to you too :)
Do an episode about British food and how it came to have such a reputation for blandness. I heard a bit about it in regards to Downton Abbey and how they went from extravagant Edwardian dishes to post-war scarcity.
I find it hilarious how the low cuts of meat are now expensive and high demand and are Now seen as Traditional American Southern Cuisine isn't it funny 😁 Thank u so much for telling the Truth they try there best to hide our contributions to this society Stay Blessed 🙏🏽
Facts. I was pissed when White people found out about oxtails, pig feet, and neckbones. The prices doubled overnight. Why couldn't they "discover" stuff I don't want like like chitlins and hog maws?
Aw thanks! Glad to hear, because it took a pretty good amount of work and hasn't gotten a ton of views lol. But this kind of feedback really helps reassure us-not everything has to be about a ton of views, sometimes a good story is just worth telling. Hopefully we won't have to socially distance TOO much longer, because we had some plans for some other cool guests coming up (or maybe we'll just go ahead and Zoom w/ them, as well).
Thank you for this. I think you did a really good job of explaining the roots of soul food. It's often misunderstood and taken for granted. Especially the part about chicken. The next time you mfrs make fun of black people for eating fried chicken, try to understand why it was/is a part of our cultural cuisine 🗣🗣🗣 and yes. I said what I said.
I don't understand how or why people even would make fun. Maybe it's a jealous reaction. If I see someone eating fried chicken, then I want to eat it too!
Thank you so much, Mental Floss! Last summer, I spent about a week in Rwanda and three months in Benin. In Rwanda, they had "sweet potatoes" which were actually *very* sweet with white insides, but I also spoke with a social entrepreneur who made more nutritious bread using "sweet potatoes" with orange insides. Then in Benin they had "yams," but they were totally unlike "American yams" because they were pounded into a white, putty-like texture called ignam pile. Every time I tried to clarify, no one seemed to know what I was confused about! So basically, I never knew what anyone was talking about when they said sweet potato or yam. I just assumed it would be good :) I also did get to eat sauce feuille in Benin - to be honest, it is a gloopy, pretty unappetizing texture, but it is a welcome green addition to a heavy starch meal :)
Honestly, the greatest two compliments you could give. If you're around tomorrow night at 7pm East Coast US time, check out Justin's shirt game in our new live trivia show (sorry for sneaking in the plug!) th-cam.com/video/rRzF244Mdos/w-d-xo.html
Woo! Thanks for the kind words! In case TH-cam hasn't already pushed all our old episodes on you, you can see them here: th-cam.com/play/PLYT7t0pcxEINn7R0XjGy3aj4cuLj8bn9U.html
White girl here and I could sit at Dr. Harris’s feet and just listen to her tell the cullinary tales of African and African Americans all day. I thought I knew what soul food was until I saw this video. (Hubris on my part anyone? Please forgive me.). I want a copy of Princess Pamela’s cookbook now. 😀
Holy MOLEY - when you described Princess Pamela's restaurant... I realize I went there. I was taken there by an ex-Boyfriend with NO context. My father grew up in Georgia... and this was the food his family's cook served me as a little kid. It all makes sense. Damn.
We just shot that video the other day actually! It's going to be for our Facebook rather than TH-cam, since it's more how-to and less "the history of." But we're also gonna dive into preservation later in this series...
Black girl here. Not gonna lie, when I saw the title I cringed prematurely, but I must say this video was well done. Thank you for showcasing my culture in a tasteful, informative, respectful, accurate way. It’s a nice change of pace!
She cringed because she is brainwashed that it couldn't be possible for a yt person to ever research & talk about something bk. She sees everything through the lense of race because she's the actual racist person. She believes bk people can't be racist though... She believes that yts 'commit' cultural appropriation despite speaking our yt language & using yt technology dozens of times per day & using yt medical advances. She believed when she saw the title that "it's a nice change of pace" because she foolishly things yts butcher bk topics because she feels bks are superior despite EVERY measure of intelligence they fall dead last but just above mental ru-turd-ation.
Shakespeare really!!?🤔 Check it out I have never had a "Yam" in my life but I've known plenty of sweet potatoes: my mom makes a myriad of sweet potato, pies, during Christmas and Thanksgiving that she sells to friends or other. Okra-🤢 "Grandma hands" made the best corn bread that turned into the greatest cornbread dressing everrr! I was born and raised in Chicago, and one of the best soul food restaurants on the southeast side was named "Glady's soul food".... If you're of a certain demographic, and age, you're very familiar with her restaurant lines around the corner, oh yeah.💖 Excellent food. 👍🏾
@@dsf8497 I'd say that's more likely. Soul food definitely came from African people & I doubt any of them cared enough for Shakespeare to name their food after one obscure line in one of his stories. Shakespeare gets credit for too much. Some don't even believe he wrote any of his work, but ,that's another video.
Fun Fact: Japanese cuisine refer to okra's "slime" as neba neba. Japanese people think neba neba foods like okra, natto, and yamaimo, are very healthy, and the slimy texture is a sign of the foods nutritional value. Okra was introduced to Japan by Americans in the early 1800s.
I love the mention that traditional soul food is heavily plant-based. The stereotype that soul food is fatty and unhealthy drives me batty. Growing up, my mom and grandmom cooked vegetables heavily and mainly veggies that we grew and the meat was a compliment to the veggies. I love my heritage.
Don't know if you guys still read comments of this vid, but there's a misused image at 5:31. You'r referring to possibly Guinea yam (Dioscorea rotundata) or yellow Guinea yam (Dioscorea cayenensis), yet put an image of taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott.), which are essentially two different things of different origins.
Always thought Soul, as a music, began as R&B. "Soul Jazz" came later through players like Cannon Adderley and the abundance of organ players like Jimmy Smith and Richard "Groove" Holmes. I would guess that Stax Records was the birthplace of Soul Music. They came around after Motown's found (1959) but Stax wasn't trying as hard for mainstream acceptance. Interesting video though. Could have dug dude getting into boiled peanuts and how Gumbo got it name.
Hi Justin, could you possibly look at Food in the Caribbean, particularly, the way African ways of cooking, was mixed with whatever the Slave holders handed out. i.e Oxtail, Tripe, and the spices which had to be blended etc
Thank you for the kind words! And agreed, our history education (here in the States, at least) is in need of some serious expansion. If you're interested in more food history, the whole playlist is here: th-cam.com/video/yn69AYv5qMo/w-d-xo.html
something else i'm misremembering: "Get A Load of This" (song title), someone and His Cheap Suit Serenaders (artist), and "...Get a load-a RC Cola...TV dinner..." (lyrics)
THis was so good! Don't think I don't notice the watch:like disparity. Usually it's about 10% even though it's gone down during Corona (maybe cause people are binge watching on full screen so they don't like stuff?). But 4%? "If that don't tell ya what this race hatin is...nuthin will"
Full disclosure: I've never had callalloo, and now I really want to. Unfortunately I think I'll have to wait a bit until I can go to a restaurant (or a generous friend's house...) to try it the right way.
In regards to callalloo; There are different ones in the Caribbean and they are often cooked in different ways also. But it is different than collard greens for sure; especially taste and texture. Very different! I actually think that Callalloo is different than collard greens and spinach as well. But that’s okay! It’s interesting and fun to know what people from different countries/ethnicities eat! Wondering video and thanks for it! C’etait formidable!👍🏽
@@MentalFloss ( Bonjour, Mental Floss, this comment is slightly long with various ideas and topics, so sorry for that in advance)! And sorry if there are errors and incorrect grammar, and jumping from ideas to ideas! But it was in all good ole jolly fun! P.S. Going to see your Nachos video next! In response to your callalloo clip; Well, If you lived next door, than we would cook it for you! It is fun to swap different foods with people from different ethnicities and different backgrounds. Now, since you said that you’ve never had it ( 9 months ago), in my opinion, it has its own distinct taste, so it is difficult to say what it could possibly taste similar to. But when I was younger, I preferred callalloo vs spinach by a landslide! But when I got older, I now find it has a sharp taste! Very sharp! Strong taste that can be unpleasant sometimes. Or....an unwelcome taste ,if I can describe it that way. But spinach, I love any way! We did not grow up eating collard greens, so perhaps I find that taste extremely unpleasant! And the collard greens are very course, reminds me of something too fibrous to even eat! To me, no matter how you cook collard greens, I just don’t like it! Yet when I was a wee little lass, I did not appreciate spinach! I think some foods you might have to have an acquired taste for, and it’s just apart of my or anyone’s nature to either like or dislike! Moreover; you can go to anyone’s house; and they could be from various places from the Caribbean, and can cook the callalloo very different! The plant/bush itself can also be different from those islands too, and that too can make you either like it or dislike it! What’s also interesting, is that what some people from the Caribbean eat and use, others from the other islands throw out!😉 Perhaps you should go island hopping in the Caribbean like Kermit the Frog! He was a Caribbean Amphibians, if you know or recall the song! But to each their own! We all have different palates that come with acquired tastes! Example; some people from some parts of the Caribbean cook callalloo like a souplike consistency, and others from other parts of the Caribbean, in more of a solid state; With fish or with shrimps. I guess it can be cooked however you like it. But what I don’t think is right, is when it’s Island vs Island stating who cooks the best and one is right and the other is wrong! Other examples: If you do an episode of: Rice and peas VS Peas and Rice, you’ll know what I mean!😉 ( not rice and beans)! It might be beans in actuality, but, it’s still called peas😂 Next example to do or think of: Is the dish called Curried Chicken or Chicken Curry?🤣 Tata for now!
@@Mamignonne100 Ha, I love all the Caribbean context-such a great part of the world for food! Do I take it from your greeting that you're Haitian? If so, would that make English your 3rd language? Either way, definitely no need to apologize for your English grammar, your thoughts were perfectly understandable and DEFINITELY a lot better than mine would be in French or Creole. ;-)
To be honest... I was NOT looking forward to watching something about Soul Food by a white man. Thank you for having a chef of colour explain things I never knew about (the chicken issues) etc. Respect.
Thanks for keeping an open mind! To be honest, our preference would've been to hire a host who can speak with some first-hand experience to the topics we cover, especially for a topic like this, but that's just not feasible for us given the way we work/our budgets (not yet, at least. hopefully soon that will change). We found this to be a very interesting subject to explore, so we were very lucky that Dr. Harris & Chef Chris were willing to lend their expertise and unique pov's. Longterm the plan is to bring more voices into the channel, not necessarily for videos related to issues of identity, but I do think it will have a nice secondary affect of expanding the types of stories we tell and how we tell them. Anyway, thanks for your comment!
Sophy Kitten Interestingly, I am just about as white as can be, but make cornbread at least once a week, usually twice. My ancestors came from Scotland in the 1880s and settled in Central and West Texas. The central TX faction were (and still are) corn farmers, and we still mill our own cornmeal. It’s an integral part of my upbringing and link to my past. Plus, cornbread is just GOOOOOD!
For some reason I always assumed corn bread was complicated to make, and then watching Chef Chris whip it up in no time and have it be insanely delicious inspired me to try to make it on my own! Definitely worth it!
While not botanically related to other rices its important to note that north America had wild rice long before columbian contact let alone the Atlantic slave trade. Rice was not in fact introduced by African slaves but heavily featured in native food.
I think he specifically speaking about Asian rice which was grown as East as the Nile River 3,000 years ago its mostly what we use today in soul food gumbo or etouffee
We used to have a wonderful Soul Food place near my home, it was run by two of the sweetest lil old black ladies I loved them. The first time I went in there I was the only white person in the room and I got the stink eye until Miss Susan said “ya’ll leave that white boy alone, at least he knows where to get good food ‘stead of that garbage from Mac Donalds.”
How about a show about the history and current state of "Cincinnati Chili". Where did it come from? Why is it so endearing within that area, but hasn't caught on in the larger context of food in the region?
...and now I’m feeling rather uncomfortable about a local soul food serving cocktail bar, friends have worked at, owned by a white dude, in which I have never seen or heard tell of a single black staff member. (Has any qualified black person been turned down for a job there? Possibly not, given the odd situation it’s possible none ever applied). Is it intentionally racist? Probably not. Does that make it ok... also probably not. Thanks for smacking me upside the head with something I failed to notice for over 3 years.
Whenever I go into any ethnic restaurant, I try to have a look back in the kitchen. If the cooks don't match the ethnicity of the food, I'm not eating there.
I never knew where the fried chicken stereotype came from. I learned a lot from this video. Thanks for making it.
I’m only 90 seconds in, but starting out with Princess Pamela and having Dr. Jessica B. Harris in the first 90 seconds has made me _really_ excited for this video. I studied Soul Food while in college, and it’s history is often overlooked as well as much of what it actually is is erased. Seeing that in the first 1:30 is really exciting/promising!
One thing: the origin of the term ‘Soul Food’ likely originates from W. E. B. DuBois’ essay, _The Soul of Black Folk,_ not from Shakespeare or the Church.
Also: OMG! The discussion of celebration food vs everyday food is so important & I’m so happy y’all included it! Although the pioneer of that term is Alice Randall & Caroline Randall-Williams in their book, _Soul Food Love._
Another thing: the _real_ day for celebration food for enslaved people was the 4th of July (Frederick Douglass wrote fairly extensively about it). The food cooked on that day was part of the origin of barbecue.
Also: Sylvia Woods, Leah Chase, & Edna Lewis ❤️
This is a phenomenal video. Really well done.
Aw thank you! It sounds like we could've had you as a guest! The Shakespeare thing was definitely tenuous- we tried to word it that way- but we thought it was pretty cool to see how the term had evolved over the years. I'm curious, since you seem quite informed on the topic: any pioneers in the cuisine who you think get overlooked? Or favorite stories/facts related to soul food?
Michael Twitty, Adrian E. Miller, & Alice Randall would’ve been some other good people to speak to who have been pioneers both in the cuisine and our understanding of Soul Food. But like it also depends on what you mean by pioneer, because people like even Elijah Muhammad and Maya Angelou have been influential. Another good person to look at would be Rufus Estes. If you want to look at a modern chef, Marcus Samuelsson would be great. Oh! And also Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor, and American anthropologist and author of _Vibration Cooking_ (and some other cookbooks), she would’ve been a GREAT person to look into for this. I mean, there’s a lot, but for a sub-20 minute video y’all did a great job.
Edit: if there were only 2 more people you should’ve referenced/included, I’d say Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor & Michael Twitty would be the two best/most important to include.
Really excellent video. Some Latin American dishes also have a connection to Africa because of the slave trade, it's a marriage of native dishes, European and African. It's certainly important to look at some of the things we eat and understand its history, it connects us to each other and also the people who came before us.
@Hunter Giovanni yea shut yall lyin asses up he's a scammer
Europe had African slaves b4 the America's did... Some foods have all their history from black hands.
You do a great job here, bro. I'm from Alabama, and the denial runs pretty deep here about the black contribution to Southern Culture, on so many levels. After the confederate loss of the Civil War, white folks had to start eating what the black folks had been living on. 75% of Southern Cuisine is indistinguishable from "Soul Food," because we all lived side by side, using the same humble ingredients, and the white folks copied the black folks. Don't get me started on music. Oh, yeah, I'm white, btw.
Very good.
The origins of these foods are very well recorded. To say white people copied blacks is just ahistorical. The truth is white people and black people in the south share a lot of the same culture because they lived so close to one another in really intimate conditions. No racial group can really lay claim to all of american culture, certainly not black Americans.
OMG I asked for a sign to continue my own TH-cam channel - you gave it to me today with the shout out Justin!! Thank you!!! By the way I met Dr Harris at an Essence magazine event eons ago. PS - love the shirt
Yay! We really do appreciate all the suggestions. Food is such a huge topic, it always helps when a comment sparks a conversation in the office (that is...back when we were in an office 😕).
Thank you for this. I love my people, culture, and the energy that we ARE. We have contributed greatly to a land that still doesn't feel like home to us... But at least we have soul and food. ❤ 🖤 💚
I could listen to Dr. Harris talk about food for hours
You just made me realise something. In Jamaica, we say "nyam" which means to eat which must come from a West African language like you said. Mind blown!
I was thinking the same thing.
'nyam' in Twi 🇬🇭 means to grind
@@efuaamuah1835 small world
Nyam in fulani means to eat
Nyam in Gullah means to eat or food
What an eye opening history. It’s incredible how the story of soul food is so intrinsically tied to the struggle and perseverance of African Americans through history. It reminds me of when I learned that Jerk Chicken is prepared and smoked without they way is was by escaped slaves specifically to evade the slave owners that were looking for them.
White girl here. Not a fan of sweet potatoes, but I LOVE okra! And collards cooked with ham hocks, corn bread, black-eyed peas and fried fish. There is so much in the culinary world to explore! And it's all right here.
You sound like you know how to eat im suprised you dont like sweet potato s or candied yams
@@chillwill7393 Too sweet!
I’m no bleeding heart. I don’t put black squares on IG. But that was powerful and insightful. That chef from ICE brought me to tears when I heard his reverence for soul food and what it means to him.
I now can understand why some black peoples refuse to eat fried chicken in public. The unkind and hateful cultures have embarrassed him into forgetting his history and his specific generational strife.
That unawareness leads to low brow ridicule and unintended cruelty.
I won’t censor others or myself. But if I do engage in cheap jokes and snickers, I’ll be sure to follow up with an even more forceful commentary on our “jokes” possible unintended consequences. As low vibration as it is to not give it any more thought to our silly words, I’ll always follow up with a push for a higher understanding of the meaning of “soul food”.
The beauty of it when it’s contextualized is to tell the story of human struggle and perseverance.
Thank you
After listening to Dr. Harris talk about gumbo, y’all should do a show about all the delicious Cajun and creole food from Louisiana.
This is how a video is supposed to be made 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
Powerful video. Very reflective on how much culture exists between African Americans. And how much of it has been downplayed or washed.
Thank you!
You guys did an excellent job. Quite an exceptional job. This deserves an Emmy.
Fried chicken the glue that holds the world together regardless of skin colour etc.. Well unless you're vegan or even vegetarian then my condolences. 🤷♂️
fried meat alternatives are delicious too!
@@kitlandcosmos8445 actually yeah 🙂 KFC has a meatless sandwich with the herbs and spices. Delicious! Deep anything.
Lol
In the time of quarantine baking I’d love to see a history of sourdough or fermentation in general! #itsalive
Mia Thomas Yes Please!!!
Oo this is very good. We're doing some a short video on Facebook about making your own starter, but this would be a fascinating area to dive into.
absolutely love how the chef has briefly but s powerfully expressed his respect and adoration towards the soul food and its history... very talented and spiritually advanced man!! ty for this video to you too :)
Do an episode about British food and how it came to have such a reputation for blandness. I heard a bit about it in regards to Downton Abbey and how they went from extravagant Edwardian dishes to post-war scarcity.
Oh this would be very interesting!
I find it hilarious how the low cuts of meat are now expensive and high demand and are Now seen as Traditional American Southern Cuisine isn't it funny 😁 Thank u so much for telling the Truth they try there best to hide our contributions to this society Stay Blessed 🙏🏽
Facts. I was pissed when White people found out about oxtails, pig feet, and neckbones.
The prices doubled overnight.
Why couldn't they "discover" stuff I don't want like like chitlins and hog maws?
This is my favorite video of this series so far!! I loved the guest interviews
Aw thanks! Glad to hear, because it took a pretty good amount of work and hasn't gotten a ton of views lol. But this kind of feedback really helps reassure us-not everything has to be about a ton of views, sometimes a good story is just worth telling. Hopefully we won't have to socially distance TOO much longer, because we had some plans for some other cool guests coming up (or maybe we'll just go ahead and Zoom w/ them, as well).
Thank you for this. I think you did a really good job of explaining the roots of soul food. It's often misunderstood and taken for granted. Especially the part about chicken. The next time you mfrs make fun of black people for eating fried chicken, try to understand why it was/is a part of our cultural cuisine 🗣🗣🗣 and yes. I said what I said.
I don't understand how or why people even would make fun. Maybe it's a jealous reaction. If I see someone eating fried chicken, then I want to eat it too!
Who the hell makes fun of African Americans for eating fried chicken? That's a thing racists do?
@@sarahroth7034 Sarah go to bed.
Sarah Roth many people it’s ignorance at its best but I’m very suprised you’ve never heard of this stereotype or the watermelon stereotype.
@@epistax4 lol true
This was a really well set up video! I especially like the experts that you brought on and the way it seamlessly fit in with the overall narrative.
this was one of the most pleasantly informative videos I've ever watched, I learned a lot and enjoyed learning it. thank you
Thank you so much, Mental Floss! Last summer, I spent about a week in Rwanda and three months in Benin. In Rwanda, they had "sweet potatoes" which were actually *very* sweet with white insides, but I also spoke with a social entrepreneur who made more nutritious bread using "sweet potatoes" with orange insides. Then in Benin they had "yams," but they were totally unlike "American yams" because they were pounded into a white, putty-like texture called ignam pile. Every time I tried to clarify, no one seemed to know what I was confused about! So basically, I never knew what anyone was talking about when they said sweet potato or yam. I just assumed it would be good :)
I also did get to eat sauce feuille in Benin - to be honest, it is a gloopy, pretty unappetizing texture, but it is a welcome green addition to a heavy starch meal :)
The shirt is hella fresh also watching this show never fails to make me super hungry.
Honestly, the greatest two compliments you could give. If you're around tomorrow night at 7pm East Coast US time, check out Justin's shirt game in our new live trivia show (sorry for sneaking in the plug!) th-cam.com/video/rRzF244Mdos/w-d-xo.html
Fantastic! Thanks for opening my eyes to this important history. MORE!
Woo! Thanks for the kind words! In case TH-cam hasn't already pushed all our old episodes on you, you can see them here: th-cam.com/play/PLYT7t0pcxEINn7R0XjGy3aj4cuLj8bn9U.html
White girl here and I could sit at Dr. Harris’s feet and just listen to her tell the cullinary tales of African and African Americans all day. I thought I knew what soul food was until I saw this video. (Hubris on my part anyone? Please forgive me.). I want a copy of Princess Pamela’s cookbook now. 😀
Holy MOLEY - when you described Princess Pamela's restaurant... I realize I went there. I was taken there by an ex-Boyfriend with NO context. My father grew up in Georgia... and this was the food his family's cook served me as a little kid.
It all makes sense. Damn.
White girl here and I absolutely looooooove okra. ❤❤❤ Great video, thanks for sharing.
I truly didn’t know how watching this video how spiritual and touched I got . 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🧘🏿♀️🧘🏿♀️🧘🏿♀️
If you haven't done one already maybe make a video about food preservation.
We just shot that video the other day actually! It's going to be for our Facebook rather than TH-cam, since it's more how-to and less "the history of." But we're also gonna dive into preservation later in this series...
It's a shame this video doesn't have more views.
Black girl here. Not gonna lie, when I saw the title I cringed prematurely, but I must say this video was well done. Thank you for showcasing my culture in a tasteful, informative, respectful, accurate way. It’s a nice change of pace!
Why did it make u cringe?
@@mariaa9056 because hes a white boy talking about African American food culture/history.
@@molliescrizisbryck797 Its cringey that people think this way. If you know what you're talking about it shouldn't matter what your race is.
@@Lord_Pilaf yeah, its sad.
She cringed because she is brainwashed that it couldn't be possible for a yt person to ever research & talk about something bk.
She sees everything through the lense of race because she's the actual racist person.
She believes bk people can't be racist though...
She believes that yts 'commit' cultural appropriation despite speaking our yt language & using yt technology dozens of times per day & using yt medical advances.
She believed when she saw the title that "it's a nice change of pace" because she foolishly things yts butcher bk topics because she feels bks are superior despite EVERY measure of intelligence they fall dead last but just above mental ru-turd-ation.
Shakespeare really!!?🤔
Check it out I have never had a "Yam" in my life but I've known plenty of sweet potatoes: my mom makes a myriad of sweet potato, pies, during Christmas and Thanksgiving that she sells to friends or other.
Okra-🤢 "Grandma hands" made the best corn bread that turned into the greatest cornbread dressing everrr!
I was born and raised in Chicago, and one of the best soul food restaurants on the southeast side was named "Glady's soul food".... If you're of a certain demographic, and age, you're very familiar with her restaurant lines around the corner, oh yeah.💖 Excellent food. 👍🏾
Zelda Williams W. E. B. DuBois’ essay, _The Soul of Black Folk,_ is more likely the origin than Shakespeare.
@@dsf8497 I'd say that's more likely. Soul food definitely came from African people & I doubt any of them cared enough for Shakespeare to name their food after one obscure line in one of his stories. Shakespeare gets credit for too much. Some don't even believe he wrote any of his work, but ,that's another video.
I appreciate this! Its a great synopsis of some major points of soul food!
Fun Fact: Japanese cuisine refer to okra's "slime" as neba neba. Japanese people think neba neba foods like okra, natto, and yamaimo, are very healthy, and the slimy texture is a sign of the foods nutritional value. Okra was introduced to Japan by Americans in the early 1800s.
Subscribed from this video alone, so knowledgeable
I love the mention that traditional soul food is heavily plant-based. The stereotype that soul food is fatty and unhealthy drives me batty. Growing up, my mom and grandmom cooked vegetables heavily and mainly veggies that we grew and the meat was a compliment to the veggies. I love my heritage.
Great segment.well done.
Beautiful work! Thanks for the production.
Don't know if you guys still read comments of this vid, but there's a misused image at 5:31. You'r referring to possibly Guinea yam (Dioscorea rotundata) or yellow Guinea yam (Dioscorea cayenensis), yet put an image of taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott.), which are essentially two different things of different origins.
Well done guys this was cool!
I agree!!! Wonderfully done. Authentic.
What an amazing chanel!
did not expect to fucking cry thanks Chef Chris Scott
This was sooooooo so good. Thank you!
Thanks for watching! It was a lot of fun to make and learn from some great experts in the field, something we'd like to do more of moving forward!
In Patois which is the language in Jamaica nyam is means eat.
I was coming to say this! 👍🏾🇯🇲
Yes 🙌🏾
Looking smart, Justin! 😏 Nice to hear from the experts too 😊
Thanks! It was fun to be a little more ambitious with this episode (even w/ half of production taking place in quarantine ;-)
@@MentalFloss Can't wait for the next Tub Trivia 👍
I love Okra, in every way it is made. when I go to "buffets" I get a plate of steak and a plate of okra
Thank you for making this video
I like okra! Pickled and fried especially.
Now I want some Okra.
Just had some now I want more
I grew up on soul food and I really liked this video.
Always thought Soul, as a music, began as R&B. "Soul Jazz" came later through players like Cannon Adderley and the abundance of organ players like Jimmy Smith and Richard "Groove" Holmes. I would guess that Stax Records was the birthplace of Soul Music. They came around after Motown's found (1959) but Stax wasn't trying as hard for mainstream acceptance. Interesting video though. Could have dug dude getting into boiled peanuts and how Gumbo got it name.
Really loving your videos.
Topics i would be interested in include chicken noodle soup, bacon, candy bars, pickles, beer
Thank you so much! What a really interesting topic, & I learned a lot.
Learning about history through dishes… Now I’m hungry
Amazing video! So happy i've found this channel, amazing content!!!!
Fantastic... I have to find that book. New Subscriber
Hi Justin, could you possibly look at Food in the Caribbean, particularly, the way African ways of cooking, was mixed with whatever the Slave holders handed out. i.e Oxtail, Tripe, and the spices which had to be blended etc
I'm not mad at this, great job
Great job!!! This was an awesome video!!!
Great video very informative and interesting.god bless you
NIKKEI FOOD BREAKDOWN WOULD BE AMAZING..THANK YOU
Maybe I can now finally find out what Soul Food is.
"Soul Food" translates specifically to "mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!" .
I'm subscribing because if this video. I learned so much about my own culture. It's a shame that there's so much that's not shared with us
Thank you for the kind words! And agreed, our history education (here in the States, at least) is in need of some serious expansion. If you're interested in more food history, the whole playlist is here: th-cam.com/video/yn69AYv5qMo/w-d-xo.html
something else i'm misremembering: "Get A Load of This" (song title), someone and His Cheap Suit Serenaders (artist), and "...Get a load-a RC Cola...TV dinner..." (lyrics)
Thank You.
The history of Nachos: th-cam.com/video/yn69AYv5qMo/w-d-xo.html&
It’s amazing that something so fantastic came out of something so awful and then became an important part of modern southern culture
Soul food is food that hits the soul with its first bite
What’s the song at 17:20?
THis was so good!
Don't think I don't notice the watch:like disparity. Usually it's about 10% even though it's gone down during Corona (maybe cause people are binge watching on full screen so they don't like stuff?). But 4%? "If that don't tell ya what this race hatin is...nuthin will"
Does anyone know the cooksboolks the regular set’s shelves?
Could you do a show about the Philly soft pretzel?
Lets see. Cornbread, biscuits, mac and cheese and yeah even okra. I've tried it didn't like it much until a friend had me try it fried.
To me, yam is purple centered and sweet potato is the orange centered.
Maybe that's just me tho
Whatever works for you! But technically there are purple sweet potatoes AND purple yams. 🍠🍠🍠🍠😬
@@MentalFloss @ _ @
Mmmm callalloo God I want some
Full disclosure: I've never had callalloo, and now I really want to. Unfortunately I think I'll have to wait a bit until I can go to a restaurant (or a generous friend's house...) to try it the right way.
@@MentalFloss it's really nice but make sure to mention if u can or cannot handle spicy foods as most make it very very spicy.
In regards to callalloo;
There are different ones in the Caribbean and they are often cooked in different ways also. But it is different than collard greens for sure; especially taste and texture. Very different!
I actually think that Callalloo is different than collard greens and spinach as well.
But that’s okay! It’s interesting and fun to know what people from different countries/ethnicities eat!
Wondering video and thanks for it!
C’etait formidable!👍🏽
@@MentalFloss
( Bonjour, Mental Floss, this comment is slightly long with various ideas and topics, so sorry for that in advance)!
And sorry if there are errors and incorrect grammar, and jumping from ideas to ideas! But it was in all good ole jolly fun!
P.S.
Going to see your Nachos video next!
In response to your callalloo clip;
Well,
If you lived next door, than we would cook it for you! It is fun to swap different foods with people from different ethnicities and different backgrounds.
Now, since you said that you’ve never had it ( 9 months ago), in my opinion, it has its own distinct taste, so it is difficult to say what it could possibly taste similar to.
But when I was younger, I preferred callalloo vs spinach by a landslide! But when I got older, I now find it has a sharp taste! Very sharp! Strong taste that can be unpleasant sometimes.
Or....an unwelcome taste ,if I can describe it that way. But spinach, I love any way! We did not grow up eating collard greens, so perhaps I find that taste extremely unpleasant!
And the collard greens are very course, reminds me of something too fibrous to even eat! To me, no matter how you cook collard greens, I just don’t like it!
Yet when I was a wee little lass, I did not appreciate spinach!
I think some foods you might have to have an acquired taste for, and it’s just apart of my or anyone’s nature to either like or dislike!
Moreover; you can go to anyone’s house; and they could be from various places from the Caribbean, and can cook the callalloo very different!
The plant/bush itself can also be different from those islands too, and that too can make you either like it or dislike it!
What’s also interesting, is that what some people from the Caribbean eat and use, others from the other islands throw out!😉
Perhaps you should go island hopping in the Caribbean like Kermit the Frog! He was a Caribbean Amphibians, if you know or recall the song!
But to each their own! We all have different palates that come with acquired tastes!
Example; some people from some parts of the Caribbean cook callalloo like a souplike consistency, and others from other parts of the Caribbean, in more of a solid state;
With fish or with shrimps. I guess it can be cooked however you like it.
But what I don’t think is right, is when it’s Island vs Island stating who cooks the best and one is right and the other is wrong!
Other examples:
If you do an episode of: Rice and peas VS Peas and Rice, you’ll know what I mean!😉 ( not rice and beans)! It might be beans in actuality, but, it’s still called peas😂
Next example to do or think of:
Is the dish called Curried Chicken or Chicken Curry?🤣
Tata for now!
@@Mamignonne100 Ha, I love all the Caribbean context-such a great part of the world for food! Do I take it from your greeting that you're Haitian? If so, would that make English your 3rd language? Either way, definitely no need to apologize for your English grammar, your thoughts were perfectly understandable and DEFINITELY a lot better than mine would be in French or Creole. ;-)
¿Princess Pamela, as in _Princess Pamela's Soul Food Cookbook_? so glad i inherited at least one copy of it.
To be honest... I was NOT looking forward to watching something about Soul Food by a white man. Thank you for having a chef of colour explain things I never knew about (the chicken issues) etc. Respect.
Thanks for keeping an open mind! To be honest, our preference would've been to hire a host who can speak with some first-hand experience to the topics we cover, especially for a topic like this, but that's just not feasible for us given the way we work/our budgets (not yet, at least. hopefully soon that will change). We found this to be a very interesting subject to explore, so we were very lucky that Dr. Harris & Chef Chris were willing to lend their expertise and unique pov's. Longterm the plan is to bring more voices into the channel, not necessarily for videos related to issues of identity, but I do think it will have a nice secondary affect of expanding the types of stories we tell and how we tell them. Anyway, thanks for your comment!
No lies told about sweet potatoes and yams . Lol lol
I didn’t know until high school it’s white colored yams
Glory!!
OH THAT'S A YAM
Yeah we just call those sweet potatoes here in Australia, nothing else gets called sweet potato here.
Well, now I'm definitely making cornbread this week. ❤
Sophy Kitten Interestingly, I am just about as white as can be, but make cornbread at least once a week, usually twice. My ancestors came from Scotland in the 1880s and settled in Central and West Texas. The central TX faction were (and still are) corn farmers, and we still mill our own cornmeal. It’s an integral part of my upbringing and link to my past. Plus, cornbread is just GOOOOOD!
For some reason I always assumed corn bread was complicated to make, and then watching Chef Chris whip it up in no time and have it be insanely delicious inspired me to try to make it on my own! Definitely worth it!
While not botanically related to other rices its important to note that north America had wild rice long before columbian contact let alone the Atlantic slave trade. Rice was not in fact introduced by African slaves but heavily featured in native food.
I think he specifically speaking about Asian rice which was grown as East as the Nile River 3,000 years ago its mostly what we use today in soul food gumbo or etouffee
The brand of rice that enslaved Africans toiled over in America was native to Africa, it is called Carolina Gold.
Soul food is were its at
Sauce feu !!! And callaloo Haitian cuisine use a lot of it
We used to have a wonderful Soul Food place near my home, it was run by two of the sweetest lil old black ladies I loved them.
The first time I went in there I was the only white person in the room and I got the stink eye until Miss Susan said “ya’ll leave that white boy alone, at least he knows where to get good food ‘stead of that garbage from Mac Donalds.”
How about a show about the history and current state of "Cincinnati Chili". Where did it come from? Why is it so endearing within that area, but hasn't caught on in the larger context of food in the region?
It hasn't caught on because it is spaghetti and meat sauce, not chili the way everyone other than Cincinnatians understands it. And it's disgusting.
You should do an episode on Poutine, though please look up the pronunciation I winced when you mentioned it in the Nacho episode.
Some of those okra dishes really don't look bad at all.
Callaloo does slap tho don't fight it
How about a history of chewing gum? I personally don't eat the stuff, but it's a pretty interesting regardless!
Ha just when I think we're running out of ideas to add to our list. That would be really interesting. Why does chewing gum even exist?
To relax, I think? Or to annoy people? :P As long as people eat you'll never run out of ideas~! ^^
...and now I’m feeling rather uncomfortable about a local soul food serving cocktail bar, friends have worked at, owned by a white dude, in which I have never seen or heard tell of a single black staff member. (Has any qualified black person been turned down for a job there? Possibly not, given the odd situation it’s possible none ever applied). Is it intentionally racist? Probably not. Does that make it ok... also probably not.
Thanks for smacking me upside the head with something I failed to notice for over 3 years.
Whenever I go into any ethnic restaurant, I try to have a look back in the kitchen. If the cooks don't match the ethnicity of the food, I'm not eating there.
I love gumbo but I hate Okra. I cant stand it. My family is two generations removed from Senegal. I feel bad for hating them lol
😂😂😂Even fried?
Mental Floss ok fried okra is alright but anything other than in gumbo I can’t handle the slime lol and I’m an adventurous eater
I love fried chicken.
Do Tofu.
Yall should do tv dinners
Roasted possum is amazing taste like beef honestly roast with some red taters and green beans then you’re good to go
Black Viagra, okra, watermelons, blackeye peas.After major holidays count nine months.