June International Supper Club: Juneteenth, A Celebration of African American Cooking

It is rare to find a cookbook that fits all your needs, so I was quite surprised when I found Jubilee by Toni Tipton-Martin. Part cookbook part history lesson, it is exactly the resource I needed for this month’s International Supper Club: Juneteenth, A Celebration of African American Cooking.

Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19th, commorating the end of slavery in the United States. Many believe that slavery ended with The Emancipation Proclamation but this was not the case in Texas. Slaves still worked plantations for two more years until the Union troops marched into Galveston, TX to enforce the Executive Order ending slavery.

Juneteenth.com highlights the importance of celebrating Juneteenth— “[it] is about the journey and achievement of African Americans – from a horrific period of sanctioned enslavement to the pinnacle of human endeavors. It is a story of pride, resilience and determination that will always be of historical and spiritual importance – as it serves us well to understand that together, we can overcome all obstacles in our path.”

All great celebrations include food, which are usually the centerpiece of the celebration, rightfully so. So for this month’s celebration, I wanted to better understand the history of African American cooking and food pathways. Enter Jubilee by Toni Tipton-Martin. Tipton-Martin compiled over 400 cookbooks into an annotated bibliography, The Jemina Code: Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks. She explains that black cooks are often pigeonholed into Southern cooking or soul food, this is not a true reflection of the wide variety of culinary interests and techniques that have been used for centuries by Black cooks.

At it’s core, African American cuisine reflects the blending of two distinct culinary styles. One was crafted by ingenious and industrious field hands in the slave cabin, from meager ingredients, informed by African techniques. The other signifies the lavish cooking—in the plantation kitchen or in kitchens staffed or owned by people educated formally and informally in culinary arts.

I have yet to encounter a cookbook with the in-depth history, knowledge, and storytelling as Jubilee. Jubilee is a celebration of African American foods and an honoring of the ancestors who left their legacy through cookbooks and food writings. So, let’s celebrate these foods and the rich legacy they represent. Join the International Supper Club for a community meal on June 26th at Spring Lake Park in North Mankato from 5-7PM. This is a donation-based meal going towards the cost of food.