Episode 36: Southern Food, Aunt Jemima, & Innovation

The Hidden History of Business Podcast

Join Emily, Meredith, & Frank as they explore the real story of southern food. They discuss:

how a recent episode of the PBS series Mercy Street both illuminated and perpetuated the idea that white supervisors could claim credit for their slaves' innovations.the native, slave, and immigrant roots of iconic southern foods,
why early English settlements in the South were catastrophic failures at agriculture
the real story of former slave, Nancy Green - the woman who created the Aunt Jemima persona to sell pancake mix
how Emancipation and Southern Reconstruction obscured the real origins of southern food
the difference between Creole and Cajun foods
the real origins of fried chicken and other fried southern foods (Lewis & Clark make an appearance!)

Links & Additional Resources:

"The Belle Alliance" Episode 4 of Mercy Street As discussed in our show, this episode features a conflict between a white quartermaster and a white southern gentlewoman - and the work of their black servants.

A Brief History of Southern Food via SouthernFood.com. This page discusses how different native, slave, and immigrant groups contributed to southern cuisine over time. It also features the Hammond-Harwood House menu we discuss in the episode:
During the first half of the nineteenth century many of the richest citizens of the United States lived in the South. Based on slave labor and ever expanding land to the west king cotton reigned. When Southerners feasted they made a good job of it. The following menu for an 1857 supper is from the Hammond-Harwood House's cookbook, Maryland's Way.

Supper
Crab Flakes Maryland
Veal and Ham Pie, Jellied
Dressed Cucumbers
Augustine's Chicken Croquettes
Goose in Aspic
Chilled Sliced Tomatoes
Hot Rolls
A Trifle with Syllabub
Peach Ice
Lemon Iced Cream
Little Sponge Cakes
Maids of Honor
Queen's Punch
Claret Cup
Cherry Bounce

Now this was only supper, not a full-blown dinner and luckily for all those 19 inch waists, there was no dancing afterwards.

The Real Roots of Southern Cuisine Interview with Chef Todd Richards, via DeepSouthMag.com. Todd Richards is an Atlanta-based chef who specializes in the history of southern food -- especially its roots in slave food. YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS READING THIS INTERVIEW. Almost every sentence is packed with new information that completely challenges stereotype about southern food and culture. Don't miss his explanations of why greens tell the story of southern food, how native peoples taught Lewis & Clark frying as a preservation technique, and why it's so important to understand how slaves shaped southern food -- and the entire South. More from the interview:
Southern food is really not that simple. It is an essential American storyteller along with our government and music. It has a long history. Southern food encompasses many regions, people and economics. It’s good, healing food born from strife and survival. The slaves weren’t creating Southern cuisine in order to make history, they were cooking to stay alive.

BM: How did the slaves influence Southern cooking? What were the typical ingredients they were working with at the time?
TR: You have to look at two things: what came with the slaves on the boat and what they had to work with when they got to America. There was a strong Native American influence in the early beginnings of Southern food when slaves began arriving: crops like corn and techniques like frying. Then, you have crops and techniques that came over from West Africa with the slaves, like the peanut (or goober peas), okra (or gumbo) and stewing techniques. There’s also daily survival ingredients like watermelons, which served as canteens in the fields. It’s 95 percent water. The slaves also used the rind as soles for their shoes.