Food culture and traditions Essay

african american / traditions / food / indian / culture / cooking
 

As a native African American, I usually hold to the tradition of using popular southern foods. These include such important ingredients as the okra. vegetable The vegetable was brought to New Orleans by African slaves.  I like to follow the tradition. It means that I follow the traditions of the past while composing my food traditions. The tradition is often attributed to the imported products from African continent. Okra can be regarded as the principal ingredient in the popular Creole stew. This dish is often referred to as gumbo. The food is believed to belong to the traditional spiritual and healthful properties. The other properties include rice and seafood. These go along with sausage or chicken, and filé. File is a sassafras powder. The use of the powder is inspired by the Choctaw Indians. The main ingredient of the food is gumbo. There are many others common foods that are being rooted in African-American culture. These include black-eyed peas, benne seeds (sesame), eggplant, sorghum. Also, I adore watermelons, and peanuts.

Southern food has one more name - "soul food." This is a very interesting story and is known by everyone who is African American. According to the general view, African Americans contend that soul is being projected to consist of African-American recipes. Many of these are known to have passed down from generation to generation. It is just the same story as the one with African rituals. The legacy of African culture can be traced is many of the traditional recipes that are being practices by the Native people. Me personally like to eat foods made from rice. It seems that the tradition has not changed since the old times when the exploitation of the new territories begun. Also, Africans and West Indians are known to set foot in the New World, as well as on the territory of the southern United States. These states are known to have a dense population. The other thing is the development of new modern cooking culture. This culture remains true to the African-American tradition. The cooking traditions are widely present in the southern society. The tradition has been existing for years.

Soul food is a hearty African cuisine. In the majority of cases, this cuisine is being associated with African Americans that are residing in the Northern part of the country. The territory is being inhabited by the people that came both from the North and South. The tradition is common among blacks and whites that live in the in the South. The basis of the tradition is the use of the cheap products have been received from farming, hunting and fishing.

The tradition is based on the use of ham hocks and neck bones. These are often used to seasoning to soups. The same situation happens for boiled turnip, collard and mustard greens. The other common foods are being used for the procedure that includes such important foods as fried chicken, fish, and cornbread. There were times, when the African-American population could be regarded to be more rural than it is no.w Things have changed however, but rabbit, possum and squirrel, as well as waterfowl still remain to be the important additions to the already present diet.

Now let’s come close to the analysis of American food traditions. These traditions can be regarded as the ones that are particularly intriguing. Also, many people are known for resisting some of the most persistent of traditions. Many of the people are known to resist the very idea of changing their food patterns. Me also. That is the main reason why food often becomes closely tied to cultural identity. The presence of this identity helps to reveal people the presence of cultural processes including blending, diffusion, or maintenance.

Gumbo can be regarded as an excellent example of cultural blending. I like this dish since it is closely identified with South Louisiana food traditions. The name of the food is derived from the Bantu. This word is traditionally used for okra, nkombo. As for the okra plant, this plant can be regarded a favorite one in Africa.

Of particular focus is the seafood gumbo. This food is thickened with okra. The food is more common along the coast. The dish is being done from meal, however, there is much space for the other ingredients. Something like boiled eggs. No matter which type of gumbo I am going to make, the ingredients for the dish are not that difficult to find. Now I will tell you some things in which the right gumbo can be done since cooking gumbo is one of my favorite pastimes. Still, the whole procedure is rather complicated.

Gumbo has also much to do with the cultural traditions of the people. First of all, the dish illustrates the process of cultural diffusion. While preparing African Gumbo Soop I am using the following ingredients:

1 (3- to 4-pound) chicken, cut into

    serving pieces and floured

4 tablespoons peanut oil

1 onions, peeled and chopped

3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

2 quart chicken bouillon

2 teaspoon salt

1/3 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 pound okra

1 tablespoon flour, mixed with 1/4 cup water

  • Brown chicken pieces in hot oil in stew pot. Add onions, tomatoes, bouillon, salt and cayenne. Simmer covered until chicken is tender.
  • Wash okra; snip off ends and cut into rounds. Add okra and simmer uncovered until tender. Thicken with flour.
  • Variation
  • Substitute 2 pounds washed, shelled and deveined shrimp or prawns for chicken

The dish is delicious. Just try and you can the experience the taste of the real food. That food is simply delicious!

 

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