Seven Key Elements Characterizing the African Diaspora

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On February 3, a remarkable dining experience unfolded at The Musket Room in New York City, where five renowned Black chefs came together for the Follow Your Roots dinner. This event, designed to celebrate Black History Month, was hosted by Camari Mick, a 2024 Food & Wine Best New Chef, who welcomed a talented lineup including Tavel Bristol-Joseph, Charlie Mitchell, Akwasi Brenya-Mensa, and Brittney “Chef Stikxz” Williams. Their mission was to honor the culinary journey of ingredients that have traveled to the United States through the African Diaspora.

The dinner highlighted the deep culinary roots that African ingredients have traced, from Africa to the Caribbean and the Southern United States. Culinary historian Dr. Jessica B. Harris, author of High on the Hog, has emphasized the importance of understanding this history. In a previous Food & Wine feature, she highlighted how essential Black contributions have been in every facet of American food culture.

Dr. Harris remarked, “African Americans have toiled in every aspect of the country’s food — growing it, selling it, serving it, and creating and offering the beverages to accompany it.” She pointed out that this extensive history is just now beginning to receive the acknowledgment and study it deserves.

For the Follow Your Roots dinner, Harris curated a selection of seven significant ingredients: okra, salt codfish, sweet potato, black-eyed peas, pork, sugarcane, and sorrel. Each course served during the meal included a personal story from the chef, who detailed the significance of the ingredient in their culinary journey. Guests were also provided with a booklet authored by Harris that elaborated on the historical context and culinary roles of each ingredient.

“Together, we are weaving threads through the gaps in our history,” Mick reflected in her introduction to the booklet. “Once fragmented but never truly broken.”

Okra

Though the exact origins of okra remain somewhat elusive, culinary historians trace its roots back to Egypt. In contemporary cuisine, okra is commonly used in dishes that range from frying to stews, such as gumbo, where it serves as a natural thickener. For the dinner, chef Akwasi Brenya-Mensa prepared a traditional Ghanaian-style okra soup, a cherished dish from his childhood.

“The story of okra for me is really enjoying it before knowing that it was referred to as ‘slimy,’” Brenya-Mensa shared, highlighting the thick soup made with red palm oil, tomatoes, and scotch bonnet peppers, paired with sticky rice reminiscent of West African fufu. “It connects us from the United States to West Africa. It speaks to all of us.”

Salt Codfish

Describing salt codfish, Dr. Harris noted, “The history of the maritime Atlantic can be tasted in a piece of salt codfish,” as it played a critical role in the diet of both the enslaved and sailors. This ingredient journeyed across the ocean, making its way into various culinary traditions, including French croquettes and Jamaica’s acclaimed ackee and saltfish.

Tavel Bristol-Joseph, a key participant in the dinner, crafted a dish featuring seasoned salt codfish, served on johnny cakes—a nostalgic dish inspired by his grandmother’s traditional breakfasts in Guyana.

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes, often considered a staple in African cuisine, served as a substitute for the yams that were brought to the New World during the transatlantic journey. The chefs collaborated to create a dish featuring fried sweet potato gnudi paired with a spicy purée and peanut salsa macha.

Black-eyed Peas

Black-eyed peas made their way from Africa to the American South, symbolizing luck, especially on New Year’s Eve. Chef Charlie Mitchell reflected on his childhood traditions of cooking black-eyed peas and presented them within a cassoulet enriched with ham hock and collard greens, merging his family’s history with French culinary techniques.

Pork

Introduced to the Americas by Christopher Columbus, pork quickly became ingrained in the culinary traditions of the New World. Chef Brittney “Chef Stikxz” Williams paid homage to her Jamaican heritage by preparing an authentic jerk pork rack, carefully smoked over pimento wood and served with calabaza squash purée and a salad featuring locally grown vegetables from her family’s garden.

Sugarcane

Sugarcane, also a gift from Columbus, transformed agriculture and society across the Caribbean and the Americas through its labor-intensive cultivation, often tied with the dark legacy of slavery. Mick honored this history by serving a pre-dessert sugarcane rum float, inspired by American soda shops of the past that were exclusionary for many Black patrons.

Sorrel

Concluding the memorable dinner, Mick introduced a dessert made from Jamaican sorrel, an ingredient with rich ties to both Ghanaian and Caribbean culinary traditions. She innovatively transformed traditional sorrel tea into a semifreddo, layering it with nutmeg meringue and coconut anglaise, capturing the essence of Jamaican flavors in each bite.

Throughout the Follow Your Roots dinner, these distinguished chefs highlighted the profound connections between ingredients, culture, and personal narratives, weaving a rich tapestry of culinary history that reflects both heritage and innovation.

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