VOA慢速英语--How Enslaved Africans Influenced American Diet

 

Do you like to drink Coca-Cola? You can thank enslaved Africans. They brought the kola nut – one of the main parts of Coca-Cola – to what is now the United States. West Africans chewed the nut for its caffeine.

Enslaved Africans also brought watermelon, okra, yams, black-eyed peas and some peppers. These foods are commonly eaten in the U.S. today. They show how Africans forced into slavery -- beginning in the 1500s -- influenced the American diet.

Frederick Opie wrote a book about some of the foods that connect Africa and America. The book is called "Hog¹ and Hominy: Soul Food from Africa to America." Opie also teaches history at Babson College in Massachusetts.

He says, “If you know what people eat, you can find out where they’re from."

Opie explains that people who were bringing enslaved Africans to North America wanted to keep them alive and earn a profit. As a result, Africans on the slave ships were fed food they knew and liked. Those foods landed along with the people.

Opie explains that fruits and vegetables brought from Africa grew well in America. One reason is because enslaved Africans planted their own gardens to help feed themselves.

In time, the plants from Africa slowly moved from gardens of the enslaved to those of the wealthy and powerful. For example, the homes of U.S. presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson had gardens planted with seeds from Africa.

Those fruits and vegetables changed the way cooks made pies in America. In England, pies were made with meat. African-Americans took the English meat pie and made it with fruit or vegetables, such as sweet potatoes.

Enslaved cooks

Kelley Deetz is with Stratford Hall in the U.S. state of Virginia and the writer of a book about the influence of Virginia’s enslaved cooks. It is called “Bound to the Fire.”

Virginia’s enslaved cooks included Hercules, a man who worked in the home of George Washington. Washington’s family loved Hercules' cooking – Washington's step-grandson described Hercules as one of the best chefs in America. Washington praised Hercules’ cooking so much the president was reportedly angered and surprised when Hercules escaped and sought his own freedom.

Yet for the most part, writer Kelley Deetz says the skilled² black chef has been written out of American history. In fact, both their work and their skill shaped American food.

For example, enslaved cooks developed gumbo, jambalaya, pepper pot and a mix of green leafy vegetables and pork called Hoppin’ John, says Deetz.

And, she adds, some ways of cooking that are well-known in the U.S. today were reported in West Africa before 1500. They include deep frying fish and barbecuing meats.

Deetz says these kinds of foods were critical to the creation³ of Southern, and in time American, food.

Soul food

Many of these foods with roots in African American culture came to be known as “soul food." History professor and author Frederick Opie says the name was created during the Black Power movement of the mid-to-late 1960s. It was a way to identify food that showed the history of African Americans.

He adds that soul food is also “food that African Americans began to create a long time ago to eat with dignity as enslaved people in the diaspora.”

I’m Jill Robbins.

Words in This Story

enslave – v. to make (someone) a slave — usually used as (be) enslaved

indigenous⁴ – n. produced, living, or existing naturally in a particular region⁵ or environment

crave⁶ – v. to have a very strong desire for (something)

okra – n. a tall plant whose pods are eaten as a vegetable and are used in soups and stews⁷

black-eyed peas – n. type of small, light bean that has a dark spot on it

?barbecue v. to broil⁸ or roast (meat, fish, etc.) over hot coals or an open fire

cuisine⁹ – n. a style of cooking

coin – v. to create (a new word or phrase) that other people begin to use

diaspora – n. a group of people who live outside the area in which they had lived for a long time or in which their ancestors lived

1 hog   

n.猪；馋嘴贪吃的人；vt.把…占为己有，独占

参考例句：

• He is greedy like a hog.他像猪一样贪婪。
• Drivers who hog the road leave no room for other cars.那些占着路面的驾驶员一点余地都不留给其他车辆。

2 skilled   

adj.(in)熟练的，有技能的；需要技能的

参考例句：

• Unskilled workers usually earn less money than skilled workers.无技能的工人通常比有技能的工人挣钱少。
• She was skilled enough in French to translate a novel.她法语娴熟，足以翻译小说。

3 creation   

n.创造，创造的作品，产物，宇宙，天地万物

参考例句：

• Language is the most important mental creation of man.语言是人类头脑最重要的产物。
• The creation of new playgrounds will benefit the local children.新游戏场的建立将有益于当地的儿童。

4 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

5 region   

n.地区，地带，区域；范围，幅度

参考例句：

• The students went to study the geology of that region.学生们去研究那个地区的地质情况。
• It is unusual to see snow in this region.这个地区难得见到雪。

6 crave   

vt.渴望得到，迫切需要，恳求，请求

参考例句：

• Many young children crave attention.许多小孩子渴望得到关心。
• You may be craving for some fresh air.你可能很想呼吸呼吸新鲜空气。

7 stews   

n.炖煮的菜肴( stew的名词复数 )；烦恼，焦虑v.炖( stew的第三人称单数 )；煨；思考；担忧

参考例句：

• Corn starch is used as a thickener in stews. 玉米淀粉在炖煮菜肴中被用作增稠剂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Most stews contain meat and vegetables. 炖的食物大多是肉类和蔬菜。 来自辞典例句

8 broil   

v.烤，烧，争吵，怒骂；n.烤，烧，争吵，怒骂

参考例句：

• Bake,broil,grill or roast foods rather than fry them.烧烤或烘烤而不要油炸食物。
• He is in a broil of indignation.此刻他正怒气冲冲。

9 cuisine   

n.烹调，烹饪法

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• This restaurant is renowned for its cuisine.这家餐馆以其精美的饭菜而闻名。