Celebrate Black History: Using Culinary Tradition for an Easier Life Today

Black History Month is the perfect time to reflect on how African American culture has shaped the way we cook, connect, and live. From recipes inspired by Black culture to traditions that highlight resilience and resourcefulness, there’s a rich legacy of wisdom we can draw upon. For women balancing busy lives, the culinary and lifestyle practices rooted in African American heritage offer practical lessons, powerful stories, and timeless flavors.

This Black History Month, let’s explore iconic African American dishes, cooking tips, and traditions that build community, all while celebrating the strength and creativity of this culture. We’ll explore ten ways these cultural practices have shaped a more manageable and fulfilling modern lifestyle (along with life tips!), and cover traditions that build community. And if you stay for the end, you’ll find a delicious recipe that turns dinner into done!

10 Lessons from African American Culinary Tradition and Lifestyle

African American culture has always been a source of ingenuity, adaptability, and strength. These lessons can make life easier and more manageable today. Here are key lessons learned from African American culinary tradition:

1. Meal Planning and Batch Cooking

From the use of one-pot dishes like gumbo and stews to preparing large batches of food for family gatherings, African American cuisine exemplifies how planning ahead can save time and reduce stress.

Life Application: Being resourceful encourages creative problem-solving in the kitchen. Instead of cooking dinner every night, consider cooking a large batch of one item (say, a protein like roast chicken) at the beginning of the week that can be used in several different ways during the course of the week.

2. Using Every Part of an Ingredient

African American cooking originated in resourcefulness, making use of ingredients others discarded. This “waste not, want not” approach inspires modern-day efforts to reduce food waste and save money. Other sustainability practices include methods like using leftovers to make soups or stews, or using leftover uncooked vegetables to make stock for future recipes.

Life Application: Sustainability is the name of the game. Not only are these habits better for the environment, they save you money and expand your ability to cook new dishes. If you’re not sure if or how a leftover ingredient can be used, you can always leave a comment below and I’ll help you figure it out!

(And don’t forget that you can always “phone a friend” or neighbor in case the leftover item can be of use in their home.)

3. Flavorful Cooking on a Budget

Staples like beans, rice, and greens are affordable yet packed with flavor when prepared with spices, smoked meats, or vegetable-based broths. This teaches us that great food doesn’t have to break the bank.

Slow-cooking is also a recipe for an incredible meal, as it preserves nutrition in the dish and develops flavor much better than other cooking methods. In short, dishes prepared in a slow cooker taste like you labored for hours in the kitchen (which you did not).

Life Application: Buy yourself a slow-cooker. I’m serious. Then, take 5 minutes to add simple ingredients like chicken along with seasonings and sliced root vegetables, then let the slow cooker work its magic for 4 hours on low. Serve over cooked rice. You will be amazed at how delightfully flavorful your dinner has become with minimal effort on your part. PS – Skip the InstaPot. You need a slow-cooker in your life.

4. Community Support Through Food

Whether it’s providing meals to a sick neighbor or contributing to a church potluck, African American traditions emphasize supporting one another through food, a practice that builds stronger communities. There is great value in breaking bread with one another, which creates strong social ties and connection, symbolizing peace and unity for all involved.

Life Application: When was the last time you had dinner with a friend, or with another family? Whether a night out on the town or an afternoon at home for lunch, look for ways to break bread with others and build a connect to help get you through the week.

Quick mention: check out my blog post on “How to Nourish Others through Grief” with tips for using food to provide comfort and reinforce social ties during particularly difficult times.

5. Creative Substitutions

The ingenuity of African American cooks—using molasses instead of sugar, or sweet potatoes instead of pumpkins—reminds us to embrace flexibility in the kitchen. Furthermore, for generations, traditional dishes have been adapted using regional ingredients…how else do you think shrimp & grits evolved as such an iconic southern dish?

One of the most important substitutions we can consider is cooking in season. For example – maybe your oatmeal is filled with crunchy apples in the fall, crisp pears and hearty figs in the winter, juicy strawberries in the spring, and luscious blueberries in the summer. Eating foods when they are in season ensures you are maximizing the flavor and nutritional value of that food, and it requires being adaptable to the (delicious) changing taste each food brings.

Life Application: Many of us are trying to eat “better,” and adjust our consumption to better match what our body needs to be healthy. For some, it’s decreasing salt or sugar intake. For others, it’s moving to a whole food, plant-based diet. Either way, the importance of being adaptable to accommodate for changing tastes and dietary needs cannot be underestimated.

I’ve begun expanding my substitutions to promote plant-based eating, such as using flax seed meal as an egg substitute in baked dishes. Comment below: what substitutions have you tried lately?

6. Balancing Indulgence and Health

While soul food is known for its rich, indulgent flavors, there’s also a focus on nutrient-dense ingredients like greens, sweet potatoes, and legumes. This balance is a timeless guide for a sustainable diet. How? Well, take a look at a partial nutrient list for these 5 iconic ingredients:

1. Collard Greens: High in fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and a rich source of vitamin K, a good source of iron, vitamin B-6, and magnesium (bonus: eat with sliced tomato, as its Vitamin C will enhance your body’s ability to absorb the iron).
2. Sweet Potatoes: High in fiber, beta-carotine, Vitamin C, and magnesium. Did you know sweet potatoes are only distantly related to standard (russet) potatoes?
3. Black Eyed Peas: High in folate, thiamine, magnesium, potassium, and vitamin B6; also high in polyphenols which act as antioxidants to prevent cell damage in the body. These can cause gassiness and bloating, which I’ve heard can be eliminated by tossing a raw potato in the pot while cooking. (Note that FOLIC ACID is a synthetic form of folate.)
4. Peanuts: High in fiber, vitamin E, Biotin, and B vitamins such as niacin and folate
5. Okra: Calling all who are preggo…FOLATE, FOLATE, FOLATE! Also, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Magnesium, and antioxidants. Okra is the most iconic of all ingredients in African-American cooking, with this vegetable is from East Africa and introduced in this country through the transatlantic slave trade. Okra is often used as a thickener for soups and stews, and is the key ingredient in Gumbo.

Life Application: Choose one or two of these iconic ingredients and learn to make a dish that your family will love. If you’ve already mastered your family’s way of preparing these dishes, challenge yourself to cook them a different way. Ever tried sautéing thin strips of collards in olive oil and garlic? It will definitely change the way you enjoy collard greens.

See below for a yummy recipe that incorporates both sweet potatoes and collard greens.

7. Celebrating Everyday Wins

African American culture has long championed the importance of celebrating life’s small victories. A shared meal, a favorite dessert, or a simple gathering reminds us to find joy in the everyday.

Life Application: Read tips on celebrating small wins in the blog post: “Don’t Quit Your New Year Resolutions.”

8. Preserving Family History

Writing down recipes, sharing family stories, or teaching the next generation how to cook are traditions that preserve cultural heritage and keep families connected. Not only does it teach the next generation an important life skill, it allows for sharing the “how” and “why” behind the way that you cook. It is critical for our kids to cook our traditional dishes, even those dishes only enjoyed a couple of times per year. This is an important way to connect the current with the past, with the generations before you who laid the groundwork for how you nourish your family today.

Life Application: It is never too early to start teaching your children how to cook. Give them permission to watch you prepare a meal and do your best to explain how much of which ingredient you are adding, and why. When my kids first started in the kitchen, I asked them to taste ingredients – no matter how odd – to better instruct why each was important and how to not mix them up. If nothing else, I am confident my kids will never confuse baking soda for sugar!  

Otherwise, it’s never too late to start a family cookbook. The one my mother created for me is an absolutely priceless heirloom; I’ve already begun adding to it for the sake of my children.

9. Cooking as a Form of Self-Care

The act of preparing a meal can be meditative and empowering, providing a sense of accomplishment and nourishment for both the body and soul. Even beyond this, cooking is the ultimate form of self-care because it allows you to curate what nutrients and minerals you place into your body as part of meal prep, it awakens sensations of taste and feel as you enjoy the process of eating, and it unleashes the satisfaction of completing a delicious dish (or learning what not to do next time you cook).

Life Application: Eat to live instead of living to eat. Research and use the ingredients that your body needs to operate at its best. For example, if traditional pizza sauce gives you acid reflux, try using pesto sauce instead; there’s no need to punish your body with your food choices.

 If you don’t know how to cook, or if you don’t enjoy cooking, start small. Give yourself the freedom to both experiment and to discover ingredients you enjoy and ingredients that truly nourish your body. And subscribe to blogs like Live The Seasoned Life for new recipes and tips to help you along the way.

10. Adapting to What You Have

This one is quick as to not restate what’s already been said. Improvisation born from limited resources—like creating new dishes with pantry staples—is a reminder that adaptability can lead to creativity and success in any area of life. Whether you’re adapting to a restricted food budget, focusing on cooking in season, or adjusting to address dietary concerns, our ability to adapt is critical to long-term health in cooking.

Traditions that Build Community

African American traditions go beyond the plate, fostering connection and resilience. Family gatherings, Sunday dinners, and celebratory feasts emphasize the importance of coming together to share not just food, but also love, laughter, and stories.

1. Sunday Dinners Sunday dinners are a cornerstone of African American culture, often bringing extended family together to bond over large meals. These gatherings teach us to prioritize connection and create space for meaningful conversations.
2. Gatherings & Celebrations The tradition of potlucks, where everyone contributes a dish, ensures no one bears the full burden of preparation. It’s a practical approach to hosting that builds camaraderie and reduces stress.
3. Food as a Storytelling Tool Recipes passed down through generations are more than instructions; they’re vessels of family history. Each dish tells a story, fostering a sense of identity and pride.

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Incorporating These Lessons into Modern Life

There are several lessons here that can be seamlessly integrated into everyday routines. Here are a few practical tips:

• Simplify Your Week: Pick a day each week to batch cook. A pot of soup or stew can stretch across multiple meals, saving time and effort.
• Celebrate Small Wins: Dedicate one night a week to a family dinner. Once the kids are old enough, assign them a particular day to be in charge of cooking dinner.
• Shop Smarter: Take inspiration from African American culinary traditions by focusing on nutrient-dense, versatile staples like beans, rice, and seasonal vegetables.
• Build Your Community: Host a dinner, potluck-style, with friends or neighbors. Sharing the workload makes hosting less intimidating and more enjoyable and builds social connections to make life feel a bit easier.

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Why These Traditions Matter During Black History Month

This Black History Month, take time to honor the resilience, creativity, and resourcefulness that define African American culture. Cooking recipes inspired by Black culture, learning the stories behind iconic African American dishes, and sharing food with loved ones are powerful ways to celebrate this legacy. Remember: every meal, every story, and every tradition is a step toward honoring the past and building a stronger future.

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Stay seasoned, stay inspired. Now try this recipe and let me know what you think.

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