Atlantic Migration of African Food

Overview

The objectives of this lesson plan are (1) to help students recognize how African foods influenced the cuisine of the American South, and (2) to examine food as an insight into culture. The essay on the African origins of Southern Cuisine serves as the starting point for further student research; younger students can still have a discussion about food and its place in culture. This lesson would be ideally implemented during the overall study of American slavery.

Curriculum Standards

The lesson addresses the following aspects of the NCSS thematic strands:

• Culture: Students examine complex cultural concepts such as adaptation, assimilation, acculturation.



• Time, Continuity and Change: Students engage in sophisticated analysis and reconstruction of the past, examining its relationship to the present.



• People, Places, and Environments: Geographic concepts become central to learners' comprehension of global connections as they expand their knowledge of diverse cultures, both historical and contemporary.

Time Required

• One class period to read and discuss the essay.
• One to three class periods to hypothesize and research foods.
• One class period for the International Food Festival.

Materials

• The "African Crops and Slave Cuisine" essay
• Internet Access

The Lesson

Anticipatory Set

The teacher asks students to describe their favorite ethnic foods. Students should talk about the ethnic foods their own families cook for special occasions, and speculate about the origins of those foods. For example, spaghetti or pasta was brought to North America by Italian immigrants (and to Italy from China). Burritos, tacos and other Mexican foods that Americans have come to enjoy are also ethnic arrivals from abroad. Pose a series of questions that start students thinking about the evolution of foods over time and as they move from culture to culture: Do they think that the Mexican food they enjoy today has the same taste as the Mexican food in Mexico? Why or why not? Do you think the food tastes the same as it did when it was first brought over from Mexico? Why or why not? Finish by asking them to try to identify common "American" foods that actually came from Africa during the Atlantic Slave Trade.

Procedures

1. Have the students read the essay, African Crops and Slave Cuisine.
   
   
2. As they read, students should note several of the mentioned foods brought from Africa, their evolution within the cultures of the enslaved, and the current incarnation of those foods today. They should note whether the foods remained regional, or whether their popularity has expanded throughout the United States.
   
   
   • After students read the essay, pose these questions:
   • How is culture defined?
   • What makes up a person's culture?
   • How is food a part of culture?
   • What kinds of things might food and diet reveal about a culture?
   • What insights can be gained from specific foods? Use the example of "soul food," which began as a conglomeration of extras: extra animal parts, extra food scraps, extra spices, all mixed together. This type of cooking reveals the necessity of the enslaved people to pull together anything available to create a nutritious meal. It also demonstrates a connection back to Africa in the types of foods that are dominant in the diet, such as yams.
   
   
3. Direct students to the Slave Diet gateway to do research on specific foods. Have students organize themselves into groups of three and choose the foods they want to explore. Once they've done the research, they should hypothesize what that food says about the enslaved culture, its people, and their lives. They can speculate on how these foods have changed over time and why some of them have become essential to American cuisine. This is an open-ended discussion in which students interpret history through the artifact of food.



4. Have students pick one or more foods brought over during the time of slavery or from their own culture. They should spend a few minutes writing about the food, its preparation, its significance. Is this a special food specific to their family, or to an ethnic group? What does the food say about them individually, or socially as a group?



5. Students will choose a favorite recipe to share with the class. They need to type out the recipe, make copies for all students and the teacher, and bring the prepared food to class to share.



6. The day of the international food festival, as the students are sampling the foods, make a list of the foods brought to class and come up with equivalent foods from other cultures. For example, if a student brings the staple of potatoes, others may offer other starch staples such as rice, bread. Ask them if they think the food they share with the class today has changed since their ancestors prepared it--how? Why?

Assessment

Teachers can make an informal assessment of student discussion and participation in the food festival.