Adapted from historical texts and rare African-American cookbooks, the 125 recipes of Jubilee paint a rich, varied picture of the true history of African-American cooking: a cuisine far beyond soul food. Toni Tipton-Martin, the first African-American food editor of a daily American newspaper, is the author of the James Beard Award-winning The Jemima Code, a history of African-American cooking found in-and between-the lines of three centuries' worth of African-American cookbooks.
Tipton-Martin builds on that research in Jubilee, adapting recipes from those historic texts for the modern kitchen. What we find is a world of African-American cuisine-made by enslaved master chefs, free caterers, and black entrepreneurs and culinary stars-that goes far beyond soul food. It's a cuisine that was developed in the homes of the elite and middle class; that takes inspiration from around the globe; that is a diverse, varied style of cooking that has created much of what we know of as American cuisine.
“A celebration of African American cuisine right now, in all of its abundance and variety.”—Tejal Rao, The New York Times
JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNER • IACP AWARD WINNER • IACP BOOK OF THE YEAR • TONI TIPTON-MARTIN NAMED THE 2021 JULIA CHILD AWARD RECIPIENT
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • The New Yorker • NPR • Chicago Tribune • The Atlantic • BuzzFeed • Food52
Throughout her career, Toni Tipton-Martin has shed new light on the history, breadth, and depth of African American cuisine. She’s introduced us to black cooks, some long forgotten, who established much of what’s considered to be our national cuisine. After all, if Thomas Jefferson introduced French haute cuisine to this country, who do you think actually cooked it?
In Jubilee, Tipton-Martin brings these masters into our kitchens. Through recipes and stories, we cook along with these pioneering figures, from enslaved chefs to middle- and upper-class writers and entrepreneurs. With more than 100 recipes, from classics such as Sweet Potato Biscuits, Seafood Gumbo, Buttermilk Fried Chicken, and Pecan Pie with Bourbon to lesser-known but even more decadent dishes like Bourbon & Apple Hot Toddies, Spoon Bread, and Baked Ham Glazed with Champagne, Jubilee presents techniques, ingredients, and dishes that show the roots of African American cooking—deeply beautiful, culturally diverse, fit for celebration.
Praise for Jubilee
“There are precious few feelings as nice as one that comes from falling in love with a cookbook. . . . New techniques, new flavors, new narratives—everything so thrilling you want to make the recipes over and over again . . . this has been my experience with Toni Tipton-Martin’s Jubilee.”—Sam Sifton, The New York Times
“Despite their deep roots, the recipes—even the oldest ones—feel fresh and modern, a testament to the essentiality of African-American gastronomy to all of American cuisine.”—The New Yorker
“Jubilee is part-essential history lesson, part-brilliantly researched culinary artifact, and wholly functional, not to mention deeply delicious.”—Kitchn
“Tipton-Martin has given us the gift of a clear view of the generosity of the black hands that have flavored and shaped American cuisine for over two centuries.”—Taste
confession : I'm only vaguely aware of plantains existing as concept from doing research for a banana post a while ago. but don't actually know what they are tbh or what you'd even do with them ?? don't think I've ever seen one irl ? hope you get some soon though
They’re slightly larger than a banana and usually darker, but look just like them otherwise. They also have a similar texture to bananas but they taste almost like potatoes. They’re one of the biggest staples in Caribbean cuisines and west African cuisines alongside rice. You can fry them, bake them, mash them, dry them into little chips (just like you can with bananas). So basically they’re like the savory version of a banana and pair well with rice, beans, chicken, pork, beef, stir fry, etc. or you can fry them on their own and dip the slices into a condiment of your choice for a snack. They’re excellent for people shopping on a budget because they’re super cheap, filling and versatile.
For your viewing pleasure:
Mofongo (Caribbean) —mashed plantains
Fried plantain slices
Plantain chips
Fufu (West African) —dough made of plantains and cassava (cassava is a plant responsible for the texture of tapioca).
How Enslaved Africans Helped Invent American Cuisine
Lovely, fascinating, appetizing reading for the family here at SC. As we welcome more folx with African blood into our family, Juneteenth becomes an important rite.
LF found this article while researching African foods brought to America. We'll be using this piece to create our own traditional Juneteenth menu for next spring.
In France, there is something specific to Rugby we call "la troisième mi-temps" (third half-time), where both winning and losing teams and supporters gather after a game for a bite and a pint! In that spirit, as our home World Cup comes to a close tonight, I am celebrating all the teams that took part and played exciting, enthralling rugby (sometimes breaking our hearts!) all across France this past couple of months, sharing recipes from all the countries represented. I really enjoyed delving into national cuisines I did not know, and perhaps some future travels will be inspired by these delicious discoveries! In the meantime, I'll be happy eating, whether New Zealand or South Africa lifts their fourth Webb Ellis Trophy!
Not to continuously be a hater bc this is my third post complaining 😭 but sometimes I be reading yalls black panther fics and can tell you've never met an African in your life please fix that 🙏🏾
Can someone please tell me if they know the actual origin of Gumbo? I'm just curious, that's all, because I was watching a programme here in Portugal *I can't remember which one anymore and I don't even remember why they even mentioned the dish tbh...my memory's shit, sorry 😅* and they were talking about it and my mother asked "Gumbo? Never heard of it" and I said "Oh I think it's from Louisiana, in America. I remember Tiana from "Princess and The Frog" making it and she lived in New Orleans and it was supposed to be a traditional dish.". Then I googled about it but there's not much about the ACTUAL origin, they only say it's a mix of European *mostly French*, Native American and West African cuisine - I'm just curious to know the origins of the dish 😊
I saw high on the hog on Netflix not too long ago and had no idea that Mick jagger;s daughter Karis produced it. it was really good had a lot of history. hope we can get another season
Whew, chile! We bouta to get some Great Migration gravy and biscuits , some Harlem Renaissance ham hocks, Civil Rights chitlins, Black Panther bean pies, negroes we ain't never heard of. I mean, Karis Jagger and her homegirl did that. It's gone be BLACK AF.....I can't wait for season 2!!! 🙌🏿 🥘
Experience the vibrant fusion of Canadian-made African spices from Kan Kan. Our expertly crafted blends bring the rich, diverse flavors of West Africa to your table, offering a unique taste of something truly extraordinary, proudly made right here in Canada.
Pretty sure I’ve shared this before, but this 2021 update of a 2020 story is still excellent reading. Think of it as a refresher course before Thanksgiving