The Historical Cookbook of the American Negro is unique among community cookbooks. No doubt that any community cookbook is unique in and of itself – it is often a reflection of the community or organization that authors it – but HCAN was created to be more than a celebration of the African-American community.
Authored by the National Council of Negro Women, the HCAN was conceived and assembled to address the lack of African-American history in schools and colleges. In the 1950s, while several well known African-Americans were taught in white dictated grade school curriculums, African-American history as a whole was not taught in much detail, if at all. Even among predominantly black colleges, few offered black history courses. NCNW member Sue Bailey Thurman proposed a way to address the problem: Create a cookbook “as a means of stimulating awareness and appreciation of our history.”
The NCNW published its “unique and ‘palatable’ approach to history” in 1958. The HCAN contains recipes contributed by NCNW councils and members from around the country as well as African-American women’s social and service organizations. The recipes often reflect the regional influence of a particular council, and some are international cuisine. The HCAN is not a historical record of African-American cooking, as Ohio State University professor Anne Bower points out. There are some traditional southern dishes that are associated with African-American cuisine, but the majority is European inspired fare, reflecting the bourgeoisie and upwardly mobile state of African-Americans in the 1950s: Recipes for Lobster in Curry Sauce, Brussels Sprouts with Paprika Sour Cream and Coeur a la Crème Fraisette are side by side with Mugwump in a Hole, Boiled Turnip Greens and Southern Hoppin’ John.
What makes the HCAN different from other community cookbooks – or any cookbook, possibly – is its other content. Organized by calendar year, recipes are grouped around persons and events in African-American history that occurred in a given month, rather than by food group or seasonal fare. Anecdotes, biographies, facsimiles and illustrations are side-by-side with foods associated with or that are in tribute to an event or person. True to Thurman’s purpose, not only are the prominent events and individuals highlighted, but little known persons and facts, too: Along with some recipes developed by George Washington Carver are two South Carolina recipes in tribute to “Pilot” Robert Smalls, for example.
The reprint edition that is available currently retains the contents of the original edition, adding an index and a helpful user’s guide to understanding some of the dated cooking terms. An introduction by Bower gives excellent insight into the time and historical context in which the cookbook was created. In today’s context, the cookbook serves as a look into the culinary and social habits of the 1950s, particularly African-Americans.
The HCAN was created to fill a void in black history and heritage, and more that 50 years later, continues to educate through the power of food. The HCAN is a cookbook and history book all in one package.
The Historical Cookbook of the American Negro is available through PINES. Ask a librarian for assistance.