 5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe. In their book, "The World in Skillet," authors Paul and Angela Knipple reveal that because America is a nation built by immigrants, traditions from Uganda, Liberia, Brazil and beyond can be traced to the food people think of as being "American" - or in this case, "Southern." "We were inspired to write the book because of the diversity we see in the South, but looking back to everyone we talked to, we realize that essentially everybody's the same no matter where you go," says the husband-and-wife team. Let's take a dip into America's melting pot without stepping north of the Mason-Dixon line. Five Old World Ingredients You Should Know and Use from the South: Paul and Angela Knipple While those sandwiches are admittedly not one of the cornerstones of Southern food, the combination of peanuts and bananas is a familiar flavor to most of us. But what most of us don't realize is that flavor combination comes from a culture a lot further away than Tupelo, Mississippi, or Memphis, Tennessee. Elizabeth Kizito, a cookie maker in Louisville, Kentucky, tells us that in her native Uganda, people eat peanuts and bananas every day, although the bananas she's referring to are starchier plantains instead of the sweet bananas we're used to eating here. The dish, mato ke nabinyebwa, is a staple food eaten almost daily by every family as a tasty way to get necessary nutrients. So, the Ugandans call them bananas? What's the difference between bananas and plantains? Bananas are edible raw and come to us from Central America, while their cousin plantains, even the ripe ones, originated in Africa and need to be cooked." 2. Okra The exact origin of the plant is uncertain, and it may have first been cultivated in either South Asia or West Africa. Historical documents show that it was eaten in Egypt as early as 1200. It arrived in the New World with the slave trade as early as 1658, the first time its presence was recorded in Brazil. Thomas Jefferson noted that it was well established in Virginia in his writing in 1781. But are southerners the only people who eat okra anymore? Not even close. Check your local Indian buffet for okra dishes like stir-fries, bhindi gosht or in sambar. You'll find okra in Malaysian food, Caribbean food, Brazilian food, African food, South American food, even modern Japanese food." 3. Paprika: The Boomerang Spice Columbus returned to Spain with peppers, which then made their way west and north to Hungary. In the milder European climate, the paprika pepper evolved to be milder in flavor and became a national treasure that allowed for the creation of what we think of today as Hungarian and Slavic cuisine. Although much of our paprika is grown in California now, the styles we use hearken back to the Old World: Hungarian hot, Hungarian sweet and Spanish smoked. Now, is that dusting all you should do with paprika? Absolutely not, unless you don't mind missing out on a world of subtle pepper flavors." 4. World Wide Greens And so did everyone else in the world. In Brazil, a traditional side to Elena Pereira of Richmond, Virginia's incredibly filling meat-and-bean feijoada is couve refogada, collard greens cut into long thin ribbons and sautéed with garlic. Father Vien Thé Nguyen of New Orleans, Louisiana, recalled using the juice from pickled mustard greens as a child in Vietnam to make a starvation meal of plain rice taste like something special. Saag or palak paneer in India? That's greens. Bok choy in China? Greens. And in Africa? Whole cookbooks could be written just on the variety of greens eaten and their different preparations. You may not see Europeans diving into a mess of greens with a hunk of cornbread, but they've got greens, too. Swiss chard, anyone?" 5. The Mother Dishes Jollof rice is one of those mother dishes. You'll find it served throughout West Africa, and, even as a mother dish, no two pots served are ever the same. Chef MaMusu, a restaurant owner in Richmond, Virginia, gave us a Liberian version of the recipe that has more traditionally Southern flavors because of the history of Liberia. To give a basic description, the dish is rice, meat, and vegetables, all seasoned with peppers, garlic, and onion. The vegetables you use can vary based on what you like or what's available based on the season. This is a recipe that left Africa with enslaved men and women. When they landed in the Caribbean, they had it with them. In Cuba, it evolved into the arroz con pollo (recipe below) shared with use by Elizardo Sanz in Marietta, Georgia, taking advantage of sour orange juice to marinate the chicken and add a new flavor to the dish and annatto seeds to add vivid yellow color. When they landed in Louisiana, it evolved into jambalaya, using the spicy sausages of the Cajuns who were already living there." Arroz con Pollo (Cuban-Style Chicken and Rice) Ingredients
Cooking Directions
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I am confident We've check this out exact same kind of assertion somewhere else, it should be gathering popularity using the world. cancer http://cancerwecan.com/
I hope they don't get paid for their 'insight.' Most black folks (and I'll bet a lot of white folks too) know that a lot of Southern dishes have their roots in Africa. African slaves did the cooking on the plantations. DUHHH!
Gee, I bet that if they dug Elvis up and lit one end of him, they could use him as a ceremonial torch at the Southern R&dn&ck Olympic games for a week, and still have 30 lbs. of grease left over for the closing party tiki torches.
I agree Charles..this article is totally stupid! Elvis is longggggggggggg DEAD. Give it a rest already!
In the 1950's and 60's there was a small cafe in Brentwood, Los Angeles, connected to a Las Vegas mobster and his well-known singer girlfriend. It was on San Vicente Boulevard in Brentwood. On the menu was "The Lousy One": peanut butter and banana on untested bread. I started eating "The Lousy One" in 1962 and have continued to this day. I consider it to be a health food and expect to live to 100. Provided the supply of peanut butter and bananas survives the onslaught of health foodists who know what is best for all of us.
The origins of that "sandwich" come from the Colorado Mine Company restaurant. Chef Jimmy, the guy who used to be in the quiznos commercials in his whitey tighties and was one of the original founders of the sub chain, always tells the story of the king flying to denver and he would deliver these bored out loaves of bread then filled with the stuff fit only for a KING! Elvis is the man... he stops by from time to time in his spaceship the aliens made just for him. Rest assured he is alive and well, unfortunately his years of smoking and drug use has rendered his voice useless for singing :( TCB...
In truth, the origin of Elvis' favorite sandwich was in Denver, CO at a restaurant called The Colorado Mine Company where a guy named Nick, on staff there, made the sandwich for Elvis when he was escorted in by his Denver police entourage, dressed as a cop, himself. No debating the nutritional value of the food, just a little irate at the lead on the home page into this article because it's misleading and then INCORRECT.
They didn't actually say where Elvis was introduced to the sandwich, only the origins of the peanut butter and banana combination.
Good G0d people. I'm dead. I was not the second-coming. Get over me. I've long since been reincarnated as James Gandolfini. Worship him and give me a rest.
What a stupid article. Plantains are NOT bananas. No one knows where okra comes from. Paprika is Europeans well, horses are also European but cowboys are not, neither is salt but the dishes salt and paprika are used on are still American. So, everyone uses greens? Is there ANYTHING in this article that suggests the origins are something other than what we've already known?
There is no formal botanical distinction between bananas and plantains, and the use of either term is based purely on how the fruits are consumed. At least research your criticisms before you put them out there.
Charles, please re-read the first sentence of the article.
The author isn't trying to find where these foods originated, but merely pointing out that Southern ingedients are as diverse as their orgins, known or unknown. These are currently typical Southern ingredients that arrived from other parts of the World.
This is fascinating! Good essay! Nice!
The origins of Jambalaya is actually Spanish. The Spainiards were making a paella with local ingrediants. I'm sure there are some African influences, but really, if they are going to write a cook book on the origins, they might want to fact check.
Geez. I hope you aren't ghost writing that book.
So all along everything everything good had it origins in Africa. Africa is a much better place than the US.
It wasn't food that killed Elvis, it was all the prescription medication he was on. We Southerners are built to run on heavy fuel. Not like you Yankees, with your dainty little arteries, who have massive strokes if there's an extra shmear of cream cheese on your bagel. I personally could pump an entire order of Chik Fil-A waffle fries through my aorta.
Wow, that's sure impressive
States with the highest stroke rates: Tennesee, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana. States with the lowest stroke rates: Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire...
Excuse me, that may be true today (like in the heart of Boston), but us New England folk like to eat hearty Boston Baked Beans, thick clam chowder, baked stuffed lobster. How about a good old fashioned Pot Roast with all the trimmings on a snowy ("what's that?" you say) winter.
ELVIS...MOTHER PLANK HIM & John Wayne .....
What a fascinating article! I love to learn the history of certain foods, and how they travel around the globe.
I'm not from the south, but I'm a huge fan of greens and of Spanish smoked paprika. I'm vegetarian, but I made this dish with collards, and then I roasted small chunks of potatoes with paprika and herbs till they were super crispy, so it would be like bacon!
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/02/23/collards-with-tiny-spicy-crispy-potatoes/
Delicious!
Paprika: Last time I checked, Hungary was east of Spain.
It is west. Just very, very west.
Actual LOL... thanks for the smile guys!
Mama Kizito's cookies are wonderful! ANd her rags-to-(almost)riches story is inspirational. Glad that quoted her in the article.
I'll bet Elvis would have loved Paula Deen, the Stroke Queen. Be careful with those country-fried artery bombs, the King blew a gasket while he was sitting on the toilet probably trying to pass one of those filthy things while stoned.