Shop Our Spring Favorites
35″” x 35″” Juneteenth by Synthia Saint James Canvas Art Print – Masterpiece Art Gallery
35″” x 35″” Juneteenth by Synthia Saint James Canvas Art Print – Masterpiece Art Gallery
A Different World (TV) 11 x 17 TV Poster – Style A
A Different World (TV) 11 x 17 TV Poster – Style A
Dancing in The Living Room (Girls) – Katherine Roundtree 24×32 Black Framed – African American Black Art Print Wall Decor Poster
Dancing in The Living Room (Girls) – Katherine Roundtree 24×32 Black Framed – African American Black Art Print Wall Decor Poster
HBCU’s Canvas Print
HBCU’s Canvas Print
MASTER PIECE JOOK JOINT GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 35X35
MASTER PIECE JOOK JOINT GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 35X35
MASTER PIECE GATHERING GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 30X40
MASTER PIECE GATHERING GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 30X40
The Goodbye Kiss (Buffalo Soldier) – Katherine Roundtree 24×32 Black Framed – African American Black Art Print Wall Decor Poster
The Goodbye Kiss (Buffalo Soldier) – Katherine Roundtree 24×32 Black Framed – African American Black Art Print Wall Decor Poster
GULLAH IMAGES: THE ART OF JONATHAN GREEN
GULLAH IMAGES: THE ART OF JONATHAN GREEN
GULLAH GEECHEE HERITAGE IN THE GOLDEN ISLES (PAPERBACK)
GULLAH GEECHEE HERITAGE IN THE GOLDEN ISLES (PAPERBACK)
Goddesses by Synthia SAINT JAMES Canvas Wall Art 3 Piece
Goddesses by Synthia SAINT JAMES Canvas Wall Art 3 Piece
Amanti Art Funeral Procession Framed Art Print
Amanti Art Funeral Procession Framed Art Print
RING SHOUT GULLAH ISLANDS – UNFRAMED PRINT ON CANVAS WORLD MENAGERIE
RING SHOUT GULLAH ISLANDS – UNFRAMED PRINT ON CANVAS WORLD MENAGERIE
(27×40) Eve’s Bayou Movie Samuel L Jackson Lynn Whitfield Original Poster Print
(27×40) Eve’s Bayou Movie Samuel L Jackson Lynn Whitfield Original Poster Print
LEROY CAMPBELL CAREFREE HAND SIGNED AFRICAN AMERICAN ART
LEROY CAMPBELL CAREFREE HAND SIGNED AFRICAN AMERICAN ART
Yes. Jesus Loves Me (Religious) – Katherine Roundtree 16×20 Black Framed
Yes. Jesus Loves Me (Religious) – Katherine Roundtree 16×20 Black Framed
Gullah Spirit: The Art of Jonathan Green
Gullah Spirit: The Art of Jonathan Green
MY KIND OF NET ART PRINT BY GULLAH LIVING SERIES BY SAMANTHA CLAAR – X-LARGE
MY KIND OF NET ART PRINT BY GULLAH LIVING SERIES BY SAMANTHA CLAAR – X-LARGE
MASTER PIECE LESSONS GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 35X35
MASTER PIECE LESSONS GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 35X35
‘Beyonce’ Graphic Art Print on Wrapped Canvas Size: 18″ H x 26″ W x 1.5″ D
‘Beyonce’ Graphic Art Print on Wrapped Canvas Size: 18″ H x 26″ W x 1.5″ D
227 – TV SHOW 80’S CLASSIC SHOW PRINT, GIFT FOR BEST FRIEND, FOR MOM, HOME DECOR, BLACK ART POP ART, FEMINIST
227 – TV SHOW 80’S CLASSIC SHOW PRINT, GIFT FOR BEST FRIEND, FOR MOM, HOME DECOR, BLACK ART POP ART, FEMINIST
35″ X 35″ GULLAH GEECHEE CONJURE WOMAN BY SYNTHIA SAINT JAMES CANVAS ART PRINT – MASTERPIECE ART GALLERY
35″ X 35″ GULLAH GEECHEE CONJURE WOMAN BY SYNTHIA SAINT JAMES CANVAS ART PRINT – MASTERPIECE ART GALLERY
Gullah Spirituals – by Eric Sean Crawford (Paperback)
Homecoming
America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities: A Narrative History, 1837-2009
Gullah Spirit: The Art of Jonathan Green
Brown Sugar Kitchen Cookbook
Juneteenth Paper Dolls:
Black Girl Baking: Wholesome Recipes Inspired by a Soulful Upbringing
In Pursuit of Flavor: The Beloved Classic Cookbook from the Acclaimed Author of The Taste of Country Cooking
Little People Big Dreams Maya Angelou Book
GULLAH CUISINE: BY LAND AND BY SEA
GULLAH HOME COOKING THE DAUFUSKIE WAY: SMOKIN’ JOE BUTTER BEANS, OL’ ‘FUSKIE FRIED CRAB RICE, STICKY-BUSH BLACKBERRY DUMPLING, AND OTHER SEA ISLAND FAVORITES (PAPERBACK)
MAMA DOONK’S GULLAH RECIPES (PAPERBACK)
GULLAH IMAGES: THE ART OF JONATHAN GREEN
GROWING UP GULLAH IN THE LOWCOUNTRY (PAPERBACK)
AFRICAN AMERICAN LIFE IN THE GEORGIA LOWCOUNTRY: THE ATLANTIC WORLD AND THE GULLAH GEECHEE (RACE IN THE ATLANTIC WORLD, 1700–1900 SER.)
G IS FOR GULLAH
BLACK BORDER : GULLAH STORIES OF THE CAROLINA COAST
GULLAH NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (HARDCOVER)
TALKING TO THE DEAD : RELIGION, MUSIC, AND LIVED MEMORY AMONG GULLAH/GEECHEE WOMEN
GULLAH CULTURE IN AMERICA (PAPERBACK)
GULLAH DAYS: HILTON HEAD ISLANDERS BEFORE THE BRIDGE 1861-1956
THE JOHN HOPE FRANKLIN AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE: MAKING GULLAH: A HISTORY OF SAPELO ISLANDERS, RACE, AND THE AMERICAN IMAGINATION (PAPERBACK)

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.

What it Means to Eat “Affrilachian” or Black and Appalachian

What it Means to Eat “Affrilachian” or Black and Appalachian - A group of people standing in front of a building - Osage
What it Means to Eat “Affrilachian” or Black and Appalachian

What does it mean to eat black in Appalachia? That’s a big question. The region known as Appalachia involves 13 states and countless unincorporated communities. Appalachia spans throughout what we would consider northern states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Maryland and even parts of Canada. ‘Big’ cities like Atlanta, Birmingham (AL), and Chattanooga are within the Appalachian region, though most people from those cities would simply consider themselves southern without knowledge of or acknowledgement of being Appalachian. 

Frank X Walker coined the term Affrilachian, and it has gained widespread acceptance by the African American sons and daughters of the Appalachian TrailFantasia Barrino and Rhiannon Giddens, and scholar bell hooks along with poet-scholar (and foodie) Nikki Giovanni are Appalachian. Martin Luther King, Jr. was Appalachian, and many of the places he preached and marched were in the region. 

It is entirely possible to be both Appalachian and Southern, because not all black Appalachians are “hill” or “mountain” folk. Affrilachians are not a monolithic people. Affrilachians were important to every social movement involving African Americans in the nation’s history, including the abolitionist movement and the Civil Rights movement. Affrilachians have influenced popular culture with contributions to literature, music, and art. 

Black Appalachians were a part of their own migration movement similar to The Great Migration, in that they moved from rural areas to cities and they also moved northerly. Appalachia is a diaspora. Enslavement and the Underground Railroad co-existed throughout Appalachia. 

So, to eat black in Appalachia will mean different things to different people depending on where they were raised, their cultural influences, and their unique heritage as in their ancestors. For example, Affrilachians in the mountain regions of West Virginia and in rural areas of Kentucky will most likely have been exposed to foods that were hunted and vegetables that are common to the land and soil. 

Here are a few basic characteristics of Affrilachian foodways:

  • Pickling, canning, and fermenting foods for the sake of provision all year round. Sauerkraut and pickled green beans are often found in Appalachian cuisine. Drying beans and some vegetables is also common.
  • Molasses and sorghum are important to baking, and sweetening foods. Meat glazes are made with molasses in some regions.
  • Meats are often purchased at slaughterhouses or butcher shops, and wild game like rabbit, squirrel, venison, boar, and goose are served by some at daily and celebratory meals. 
  • In some regions, kale is as important as collard greens and often mixed together. Cabbage, green beans, sweet potatoes and white potatoes are staples. Okra is a staple depending on the region and culinary influence. Beans are an important part of Affrilachian cuisine. There are the beans you know about like black-eyed peas and pinto beans, but there are others like half-runners, greasy beans, and peanut beans that grow on the side of mountains. 
  • And some foods are bourbon-infused such as bourbon in bread pudding, cakes, and even vegetables. 

Malinda Russell is perhaps the most influential of black cooks and recipe writers. She was born in Tennessee, trained in Virginia, and her dishes were common for Appalachia. Her Washington Cake is indicative of the spicy, citrusy desserts often baked in Appalachia. Pies and fried pies made from fresh berries, mashed squash, pumpkin and sweet potatoes are favorites. Chef and cookbook author Rufus Estes was also from Appalachia, and his ‘fried’ chicken is not prepared as we know it, it was prepared as pan-fried in butter, which was not uncommon in certain Appalachian regions. 

Common to most black southern traditions, an Appalachian meal will include refrigerator rolls and cornbread. Sweet potato pie is a dessert staple as is bread pudding. Pies and cobblers made from berries and fruit indigenous to the region are also common. 

There remains uncharted territory in the study of eating black and Appalachian. The best place to start is to learn more about the people and their history. To read about the black, Native American, immigrant, and social influences of Appalachia, Black in Appalachia is an excellent resource as is 100 Days in Appalachia

SHOP OUR FAVORITES – CLICK THE IMAGE TO EXPLORE

Advertisements

Robin Caldwell

Robin Caldwell is the blogger behind freshandfriedhard.com and a public historian and researcher focusing on Black culinary traditions and foodways.

More Posts

186

Comments

comments

Follow:
Robin Caldwell

Robin Caldwell is the blogger behind freshandfriedhard.com and a public historian and researcher focusing on Black culinary traditions and foodways.

Find me on: Instagram

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Instagram
9   42
25   1418
8   454
8   46
6   163

Follow on Instagram

Shop Our Favorites!
LEROY CAMPBELL CAREFREE HAND SIGNED AFRICAN AMERICAN ART
Gullah Spirit: The Art of Jonathan Green
35″” x 35″” Juneteenth by Synthia Saint James Canvas Art Print – Masterpiece Art Gallery
‘Beyonce’ Graphic Art Print on Wrapped Canvas Size: 18″ H x 26″ W x 1.5″ D
HBCU’s Canvas Print
A Different World (TV) 11 x 17 TV Poster – Style A
(27×40) Eve’s Bayou Movie Samuel L Jackson Lynn Whitfield Original Poster Print
Yes. Jesus Loves Me (Religious) – Katherine Roundtree 16×20 Black Framed
Dancing in The Living Room (Girls) – Katherine Roundtree 24×32 Black Framed – African American Black Art Print Wall Decor Poster
The Goodbye Kiss (Buffalo Soldier) – Katherine Roundtree 24×32 Black Framed – African American Black Art Print Wall Decor Poster
Amanti Art Funeral Procession Framed Art Print
Goddesses by Synthia SAINT JAMES Canvas Wall Art 3 Piece
227 – TV SHOW 80’S CLASSIC SHOW PRINT, GIFT FOR BEST FRIEND, FOR MOM, HOME DECOR, BLACK ART POP ART, FEMINIST
MASTER PIECE LESSONS GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 35X35
GULLAH IMAGES: THE ART OF JONATHAN GREEN
GULLAH GEECHEE HERITAGE IN THE GOLDEN ISLES (PAPERBACK)
MASTER PIECE JOOK JOINT GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 35X35
MY KIND OF NET ART PRINT BY GULLAH LIVING SERIES BY SAMANTHA CLAAR – X-LARGE
35″ X 35″ GULLAH GEECHEE CONJURE WOMAN BY SYNTHIA SAINT JAMES CANVAS ART PRINT – MASTERPIECE ART GALLERY
RING SHOUT GULLAH ISLANDS – UNFRAMED PRINT ON CANVAS WORLD MENAGERIE
MASTER PIECE GATHERING GULLAH ISLANDS WALL ART, 30X40
Shop Now

Click to Shop!

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.

Shares
• powered by chloédigital