18 Facts About Soul food

Soul food is an ethnic cuisine traditionally prepared and eaten by African Americans, originating in the Southern United States.

Soul food originated in the Deep South, mainly Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia, where there was a large population of enslaved peoples.

Term soul food became popular in the 1960s and 1970s in the midst of the Black Power movement.

Soul food restaurants were black-owned businesses that served as neighborhood meeting places where people socialized and ate together.

Soul food recipes have pre-slavery influences, as West African and European foodways were adapted to the environment of the region.

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Peppers used to add spice to Soul food included malagueta pepper, as well as peppers native to the western hemisphere such as red peppers.

Several foods that are essential in southern cuisine and soul food were domesticated or consumed in the African savanna and the tropical regions of West and Central Africa.

One notable soul food chef is celebrated traditional Southern chef and author Edna Lewis, who released a series of books between 1972 and 2003, including A Taste of Country Cooking in which she weaves stories of her childhood in Freetown, Virginia into her recipes for "real Southern food".

Soul food originated in the southern region of the US and is consumed by African-Americans across the nation.

Traditional soul food cooking is seen as one of the ways enslaved Africans passed their traditions to their descendants once they were brought to the US, and is a cultural creation stemming from slavery and Native American and European influences.

Soul food recipes are popular in the South due to the accessibility and affordability of the ingredients.

Proponents of soul food embraced the concept of it, and used it as a counterclaim to the argument that African-Americans had no culture or cuisine.

Soul food is frequently found at religious rituals and social events such as funerals, fellowship, Thanksgiving, and Christmas in the Black community.

Soul food spread throughout the United States when African Americans from the South moved to major cities across the country such as Chicago and New York City.

Soul food prepared traditionally and consumed in large amounts can be detrimental to one's health.

Opponents to soul food have been vocal about health concerns surrounding the culinary traditions since the name was coined in the mid-20th century.

Soul food has been criticized for its high starch, fat, sodium, cholesterol, and caloric content, as well as the inexpensive and often low-quality nature of the ingredients such as salted pork and cornmeal.

In light of this, soul food has been implicated by some in the disproportionately high rates of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, clogged arteries, stroke, and heart attack suffered by African-Americans.