The Soul of Soul Food: A Reading List

Soul Food. noun : the type of food typically eaten by African-Americans in the southern U.S. (source:  Merriam Webster Learner's Dictionary)

This definition, though factually accurate, hardly captures the depth and beautiful complexity of this true American cuisine.  Researchers, food scholars, and soul food lovers (not mutually exclusive) have produced fantastic treatises on food and African-American history. I will refer to these works throughout this blog, as well as to new information and research that I find.  If you are new to soul food history, I highly recommend the following books, all available at Amazon.com.

High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America, by Jessica B. Harris

Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time, by Adrian Miller

The Jemima Code:  Two Countries of African American Cookbooks, by Toni Tipton-Martin

Building Houses Out of Chicken Legs: Black Women, Food, and Power, Psyche A. Williams-Forson

I also frequent Afroculinaria for knowledge of our culinary diaspora and the root origins of African-American cuisine.

For History 101, check out Adrian Miller's illustrated treatise at First We Feast.

And finally, for an overview of traditional soul foods, the African American Registry has an exceptionally comprehensive list.

Any other treatises or works out there?  Cookbooks with family stories and anecdotes?  I'm always looking for something new to read, and so are my fellow clean soul compatriots.