Rediscovering and reinventing food for the soul
Inspired in part by Bryant Terry, author of the new book "Vegan Soul Kitchen," several forces in Boston's African-American communities are teaming up to create a new wave of healthy eating that remains culturally relevant. "Eating locally, healthily, and sustainably are things that my ancestors were doing," says Terry.
Last week, the Oakland-based author and cohost of the PBS series "The Endless Feast," stopped by the Haley House Bakery Cafe in Dudley Square, where he judged a collard greens competition. Terry, a self-described eco-chef and food justice activist, refuses to define African-American cuisine just by its most well-known and least healthy dishes. The cuisine is best known for soul food, which serves as a link to a rich cultural heritage. With today's awareness of the impact that a high-fat diet can have on health, soul food is being criticized. "There is no one version of soul food," says Terry. "I take issue with people confining it to the deep-fried fatty foods and sugary desserts, because African-American cuisine has evolved."
"Vegan Soul Kitchen" is part of that evolution. Terry advocates replacing animal products with fruits, vegetables, and plant-based proteins such as beans, tofu, tempeh, and seitan. In a recipe for collard greens, flavor comes from a citrus reduction and raisins rather than pork fat. Other riffs on classics include a "chilled and grilled" salad of okra, corn, and tomatoes; sweet cornmeal-coconut butter drop biscuits; and a freshly-squeezed watermelon martini.
All of this resonates with Zakiya Alake, Roxbury resident, caterer, and Haley House cooking teacher. She refuses to eat anything "that ever walked, crawled, jumped, swam, flew, or breathed," she says, though her cooking is rooted in tradition. "I'm interested in old-fashioned soul food with a 21st century understanding," says Alake. "I vegan-ize the food that I grew up with."
Both Alake and Terry participated in the collard cook-off. The competition represented what the nonprofit restaurant's founding chef Didi Emmons calls "the cutting edge" of soul food, featuring seven entries with ingredients ranging from sun-dried tomatoes to peanut sauce, as in Alake's "Black Thai" collards. Greens were judged by Terry and others for appearance, texture, consistency, and flavor. "Flavor we're going to count twice," announced Emmons.
The finalist was Highland Park resident Celia Grant, who adapted a Jamaican recipe for callaloo, or amaranth, an increasingly popular green sold at farmers' markets. Runner-up Fulani Haynes accepted her prize by singing a parody of "Summertime": "Jazzy greens, make your colon come a-live."
Another organization committed to improving access to quality food in Boston's largely African-American neighborhoods is the Food Project, which farms five lots in Dorchester and Roxbury and sells its produce at nearby farmers' markets.
One of its lots occupies the rooftop of the Boston Medical Center in Roxbury where, during growing season, rows of corn can be seen from the street below. The produce is available at an on-location market and through the BMC's food pantry. "We've been growing food in Dorchester and Roxbury since 1995, so the farming isn't new, but the partnerships, the awareness, and the attention definitely are," says Jen James of the Project's headquarters in Lincoln. "There's a coming together of people around these issues, and it's addressing all parts, not just food but fitness and living conditions, creating a truly holistic level of change."
One major force for change is Vivien Morris, a clinical dietitian who serves as director of community initiatives for the Nutrition & Fitness for Life Program at the Boston Medical Center. She helped start a farmers' market in Mattapan. "I see families that are having no vegetables with their meals, and I talk to them about getting back to the way their grandparents ate," says Morris. "Having things like fried chicken used to be a sometimes food, associated with the Sunday meal or with special church events." Like Terry, the dietitian sees the way previous generations ate as something to emulate.
While the movement to reinvent African-American eating is largely a grassroots effort, change is also coming from the White House. Michelle Obama's garden on the grounds of her new home might give others incentive to do the same.
"This is a great time for those of us doing work around nutrition and health, even despite the downturn in the economy," says Morris. "Awareness and interest are at a high level, and it's a good time to make a turn." 