The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South

Challah is a braided Jewish bread that is typically eaten for religious occasions such as Passover. In the Hebrew Bible, challah referred to a kind of loaf, and in Jewish traditions, this loaf is a portion of dough that is set aside for a religious tithe. Twitty describes eating challah as a boy with butter and blackberry jam. As a Jewish food with religious significance, challah is an especially direct example of how food can both form and reflect a person’s identity.

One of Twitty’s least favorite foods as a child, chitlins are made from the small intestines of domesticated animals such as lamb or pigs. They are usually boiled in a meat broth and served with vinegar and cornbread.

Chitlins are a traditional soul food originating in the hardship of Twitty’s ancestors. Enslaved Africans were sometimes given the scraps of their enslavers’ livestock—often the least desirable parts of the animal, such as the innards—and they had to find creative ways to make these parts edible. Chitlins subsequently became a staple food in African American communities during the Reconstruction era and the Jim Crow era, when Black people were barred from many restaurants and had limited access to fresh meat and other foods. Chitlins were accessible inexpensive.

Cornpone is like cornbread but made only with cornmeal, boiling water, and salt. The mixture is formed into patties and grilled or fried. Some culinary historians argue that cornpone was a dish taught to colonists by Indigenous nations, while others suggest that enslaved Africans adapted the dish. In Chapter 12, Twitty explores corn’s historical significance for enslaved communities in the American South, where many planters favored the crop because its cultivation and harvest required less labor than tobacco did.

A diaspora is the distribution of a people across the world from their homeland. Twitty’s work focuses on the African diaspora and specifically how Africans influenced and altered the culinary landscape of communities and cultures across the American South.

Introduced at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, Jim Crow laws were state and local laws that enforced racial segregation. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 abrogated Jim Crow laws, but the fight against segregation is ongoing.

Jim Crow laws are a central factor in Twitty’s culinary journey. Soul food developed during the Jim Crow era as a cuisine of necessity and survival for African Americans, who endured discrimination and economic hardship and had limited access to foods. Soul food was a way for African Americans to make the most of what they had, and to create meals that were both satisfying and nourishing. This culinary history highlights a thematic duality between ugliness and beauty; out of injustice and suffering came creativity and culinary excellence.

Jollof rice is a West African dish featuring rice, vegetables, meat, tomatoes, onions, and a variety of spices cooked together in one pot. Many Southern rice dishes have an African origin. Unlike much soul food, jollof rice is not directly linked to slavery, but the history of the West African region is closely associated with the transatlantic slavery trade. Twitty discovers that his genetic heritage originates largely in West Africa, and in the Afterword, he finally travels to this region.

Matzo, or matzah, is an unleavened flour used to make flatbreads and other Jewish dishes. Matzo ball soup is a chicken-based soup with dumplings made from matzo, eggs, and chicken fat. Like challah, matzo has religious significance within Judaism, as the unleavened quality of the meal ties to the holiday of Passover. Twitty’s experiences with Judaism led him further down the path of Identity and Self-Discovery, so the cuisine holds special significance for him.

Mishpocheh is a Yiddish word that describes a family network. Twitty’s use of the term emphasizes his focus on ancestry and family while drawing attention to his Jewish faith.

In Twitty’s usage, the “Old South” refers to the culture and history of former slaveholding states. The modern customs and traditions of these states are directly affected by their history of enslavement and the influence of Black enslaved peoples.

Passover is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the Israelites’ escape from Egyptian slavery, detailed in the Book of Exodus. The holiday is celebrated for seven to eight days, depending on the region. In Twitty’s narrative, Passover is significant partly for its culinary elements, as unleavened bread is part of the tradition.