FOOD HISTORY:: GULLAH*GEECHEE**FOODWAYS   

The creation of the Gullah Geechee Foodways -The food dishes from Africa that became translated into those of the Southern coastal area of the United Stares *** 

The countries that now make up Western Africa are where rice was first domesticated and grown in Africa and inventive rice dishes called Jollof rice, were created all over the area using various local ingredients. Each reflected the different food cultures and histories in the region in which it was prepared. 

The Gullah Geechee are the descendants of the first enslaved peoples from West Africa who were brought to, and still live in, the rural communities in and around the coastal region and the sea islands of South Carolina and Georgia or the coastal mainland regions of Georgia and northeastern Florida. 

 In the late 17th century, growing rice in those states, using enslaved native Americans, became lucrative enough to have the plantation owners bring in enslaved West Africans, who had experience in cultivation and growing of rice, *** to increase their workforce. 

The climate in those costal states, warm, semitropical, wet and swampy, were ideal for growing rice but prone to the spread of Malaria and Yellow Fever. Many West Africans brought to these areas for their knowledge of rice cultivation were immune these diseases, due to exposure in Africa; but the white plantation owners were not. Therefore, they built their houses far from the rice fields, and, during the wet and rainy summer and autumn seasons left altogether, leaving only enslaved West Africans as foremen. 

While the white population always remained low, rice sale profits increased, which led the owners to import more West Africans. Because of this, these West Africans had even less contact with the small population of white people who remained. This made their experience different from Africans brought as slaves to other parts of the United States. 

Since the West Africans were not taught to read and write, the only means they had to pass down their cultural traditions, including cooking, recipes, ingredients and the means of preparation, was by word of mouth. This is the basis of what is called the “Gullah Geechee Foodways”.  

Enslaved people were given only cast off or garbage parts of cows and pigs to eat and used a variety of seafood they could catch to make their food. Because Gullah Geechee people had a deep understanding of rice cultivation and usage much more than the owners, they used rice as the basis for many of their dishes, incorporating it into them, adding other food items that were indigenous to where they lived to complete the dish. 

In this way, they were following traditional food preparation in the way it had been done in Africa. 

Further, since they owned only one pot, almost every meal was a one pot dish to stretch the meal further. 

Some traditional savory Gullah Geechee dishes are Okra Soup, Red Rice, Hoppin John, Crab Rice, Shrimp and Grits and Gullah Gumbo. Others are Sweet: Peaches and Cream pie and Chewies. 

 

*Gullah 

Lived and worked on costal islands and mainland South Carolina and Georgia. 

Isolation in these areas allowed them to maintain their traditions and develop a distinct Creole language m known as Gullah, which combined elements of West African and English. 

**Geechee 

Lived and worked on costal mainland regions of Georgia and northeastern Florida. 

They shared some similarities with the Gullah but developed their own cultural practices and linguistic variations. Their language – Geechee Creole – was influenced by several African languages and dialects. 

 

*** Slave ships brought West African food crops and seeds , especially rice, for the slaves to eat and sustain them during and after their passage to the new world, but also, black-eyed peas, yams, kidney and lima beans, sesame seeds and watermelon, among others. These African ingredients, combined with local white southern dishes, “morphed” into the components of ‘Southern Cooking" and, eventually, into what we now call “Soul Food”, eaten by African Americans but enjoyed by many other cultures, as well. 

 

 THE FOODIES COMPANION: THINGS I LIKE

In my book," The Foodies' Companion Cookbook; Things I Like", I presented  recipes for the dishes  I have eaten in my 90+ years of eating, that I have particularly enjoyed. These may have been those I have created, those given to me by friends or family and others I have found and eaten in my travels to other countries. Some recipes are very simple and easy, perhaps from being printed on a store bought box or can, others more complex to prepare. However, in every case, they are dishes I have enjoyed and eaten over and over again  in my life. Each recipe is preceded by the story about how the dish became one of the, " Things I Like".  For me, a very personal cookbook.

Recently, I created  a very simple Tomato - Cheese soup that my wife, Susan, enjoyed so much that she suggested that I share it with others.

The recipe for Susan's Tomato - cheese soup follows:

Ingredients

1 can condensed tomato soup

! can water

1/2 tsp sugar

2 oz cream cheese - room temperature and cut into small pieces.

1/4 C shredded Cheddar cheese ( mild or sharp, your choice)

Salt and pepper, TT

Directions

Put the contents of the can of soup into pan and add the cup of water, sugar, cream cheese and cheddar cheese.

Heat pan slowly, with stirring, until cheeses are melted and mostly incorporated into the soup.

A small amount of the cheeses may not have been totally melted. and incorporated into the soup when it is  hot enough to eat. This does not prevent the soup from being served, that way, but if you want it totally smooth, you can blend it in your food processer until the consistency is what you prefer. 

I present this as a sample of the types of recipes I have in my cookbook. I would appreciate your commentary and feed-back, to tell me if you would want more POSTS of this kind in my blog or have it stay as it has always been.

Thank you