Juneteenth is a Good Day for Hibiscus Tea and Charming Black American Cuisine
Juneteenth is a Good Day for Hibiscus Tea and Charming Black American Cuisine
Years before I had my first taste of gumbo, I encountered the worlds of Black American, Creole, and Cajun food in the pages of James Lee Burke’s detective books. The image of dirty rice with gravy, along with fried kidney beans and pork chops, not only feeds my imagination, but also opens up a whole new world of African-American. Meal,
Read also: Hindus tell. What is Juneteenth?
Today is a good day to raise toast in this dish. It is Juneteenth, a day that celebrates the end of slavery in America with picnics, barbecues, and feasts.
It was on June 19, 1865—more than two years after U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation—that Union Army Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to finally let the state’s enslaved people know that They are free. And a year later, black Americans in Texas marked the day with joyful music, dancing, and food.
melt together
And what to eat! Lots of figures of this – in the details of lip smacking – in a new book, Watermelon and Red Bird: A Cookbook for the Juneteenth and Kale Celebrations, But the book, writes author Nicole A. Taylor, is not an attempt to “capture the flavors and cuisines” of the 1866 celebration. She says this is proof of where black Americans stand today.
“Red is an essential part of the celebration – bursting brightly with red soda, red beans and rice, and fruits like watermelon”
“It’s much more than classic American comfort food like corn dogs, turkey legs, elephant ears, and Frito pie that black Americans associate with traditions like fairs and festivals, and in places like Texas … we meet in the backyard , where we know and the diverse cultures around us, and a mix of American traditions.”
Cover of ‘Watermelon and the Red Bird’
Taylor’s book contains 75 recipes for drinks, entrees and side dishes for the Juneteenth. This includes, as it should be, the traditional red drink – hibiscus tea – found in many festive celebrations.
Red is an essential part of the celebration – bursting brightly with red soda, red beans and rice, and fruits like watermelon. I chanted on an article in Oprah Daly Quoting author-culinary-historian Michael Twitty as saying that red was important because people’s common foods were largely white, green, or brown: “There was an excitement with the rarity of eating red-colored treats.” “.
Taylor declares any bright and lively drink “A-OK for Juneteenth.” But remember, she says, “thanks to the descendants of enslaved Africans” for keeping this ritual alive.
soul of black cookout
Also the people who nurture the Juneteenth ritual have memories of the meal. Taylor recalls how 61-year-old Marguerite Hannah’s voice “burned up” when she talked about Juneteenth food as a kid in Galveston: Brisket, Hot Links, Stuffed Shrimp, Potato Salad and Lemon Pie. And how Texan Annette Gordon-Reid set off Taylor’s “drol alarm” when she described her grandmother making hot tamales on Juneteenth: “‘To soften corn husks in hot water, add pork, beef or Grind chicken, prepare masa dough Spread on husks, fill dough with seasoned meat, and tie tamales for final preparation…’”
Memories aren’t about celebration though. Taylor walks us through the history of the fairs, emphasizing that the word ‘fair’ sounds funny but “like many words in the American lexicon, it is steeped in racial and racist history”.
The Texas State Fair, for example, was isolated only in the 60s. Three years after it was first held in 1886, “Colored People’s Day” was added to it – which meant that other days of the fair were put on hold. That day was also released from prison in the early 1900s.
Decades later, in 2011, Taylor attended her first Juneteenth festival in Brooklyn: it reminded her of a “little Texas Juneteenth fair”. In 2012, she hosted a Juneteenth picnic with oven-roasted pork shoulder, potato salad, pickled vegetables, cornbread and a strawberry crisp. “The food was good; the company was better; the black cookout spirit continued,” she writes.
Along with food stories and recipes, Taylor offers some rich advice for the reader. “Gather your tribe whenever you can. Feed them well.” really.
Rahul Verma loves to read and write about food as much as he loves to cook and eat. well almost.