A Taste of Africa: Dishes That Traveled Across the Atlantic
By: Chimdindu Ken-Anaukwu
Food tells a story—of migration, resilience, and the unbreakable ties between Africa and its descendants across the Atlantic. Many of the dishes we enjoy today in the Caribbean, Brazil, and the American South have deep roots in African culinary traditions, carried by enslaved Africans who transformed familiar ingredients into new cultural staples.
This Black History Month, let’s take a journey through the flavors, techniques, and ingredients that connect West and Central Africa to soul food, feijoada, and Caribbean cuisine.
1. Soul Food: The African Legacy in Southern Cooking
Many classic soul food dishes—from collard greens to cornbread—trace back to African food traditions brought to the Americas during the transatlantic slave trade.
🍗 Fried Chicken – While often associated with the American South, deep-frying chicken in flavorful spices is a technique that originated in West Africa. The method was adapted in the U.S., using European breading techniques, to create what we now know as Southern-style fried chicken.
🥬 Collard Greens & “Pot Likker” – In Africa, green leafy vegetables like cassava leaves and amaranth were stewed with seasonings. Enslaved Africans in the U.S. adapted this practice using collard greens, mustard greens, and turnip greens—often simmered in a flavorful broth called “pot likker.”
🍚 Hoppin’ John (Black-eyed Peas & Rice) – This dish, a New Year’s tradition in the U.S., is deeply connected to Akan and Yoruba cuisines. In Ghana and Nigeria, black-eyed peas were often cooked with rice, just as they are in Hoppin’ John.
🥣 Gumbo – The very word gumbo comes from the Bantu word for okra, ki ngombo. The dish itself, a rich stew thickened with okra or roux, was influenced by West African, Native American, and French cooking traditions.
🔥 African Influence: Okra, rice, deep-frying techniques, and one-pot stews all came from African cooking traditions, shaping what we now call soul food.
2. Feijoada: Brazil’s African-Inspired National Dish
🇧🇷 In Brazil, feijoada is more than just a meal—it’s a symbol of cultural fusion. This black bean and pork stew has strong connections to the foods that enslaved Africans prepared in Brazil, particularly from Angola and Mozambique.
🥄 The African Connection – Feijoada resembles Angolan and Mozambican bean stews, which were slow-cooked with smoked meats and vegetables. Enslaved Africans in Brazil adapted the dish using black beans, which were more readily available.
🔥 Cooking Techniques – Slow-cooking tough cuts of meat in a flavorful broth was a survival skill enslaved Africans brought to the Americas. This technique ensured that nothing went to waste while creating deeply flavorful dishes.
🍛 Variations Across the Diaspora – Similar bean-based stews can be found throughout Africa, from Nigerian black-eyed pea porridge to Senegalese ndambé.
🔥 African Influence: The method of slow-cooking beans with meat and spices, as well as the preference for black beans, came from African culinary traditions.
3. Caribbean Cuisine: Africa’s Spices, Techniques & Flavors
The Caribbean is a melting pot of cultures, and African food traditions remain at the heart of many beloved dishes.
🌿 Jerk Cooking (Jamaica) – While the word jerk comes from the indigenous Taino people, the cooking method of marinating and slow-roasting meats over pimento wood was heavily influenced by West African grilling techniques. Many of the spices used—like allspice, nutmeg, and thyme—are similar to those found in African spice blends.
🍲 Callaloo (Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Haiti) – This dish, made with leafy greens, coconut milk, and okra, mirrors the West African tradition of spinach-based stews. It is nearly identical to dishes like Efo Riro (Nigeria) and Palaver Sauce (Ghana).
🍌 Mofongo (Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic) – Made with mashed plantains, garlic, and pork cracklings, mofongo closely resembles West African fufu, a starchy dish made by pounding yams, cassava, or plantains into a dough-like consistency.
🍚 Rice & Peas (Jamaica) – Also known as "peas and rice" in the Bahamas, this dish mirrors Waakye (Ghana) and Thieboudienne (Senegal)—African rice dishes cooked with beans, coconut milk, and spices.
🔥 African Influence: Marinating meats with strong spices, stewing leafy greens, and cooking rice with beans all have African origins that remain central to Caribbean cuisine.
The Legacy of African Cuisine Lives On
The flavors of Africa crossed the Atlantic, survived enslavement, and evolved into new culinary traditions that are now central to Black culture worldwide. This Black History Month, as we celebrate resilience and heritage, let’s honor African ancestors not just through stories and music, but through food.
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