Soul Food: Food & Music, Fat & Yummy

Soul food loosely describes the African-American cooking that originated in the US South. Here, the poorest people in the US used both African traditions and ingenuity to create a remarkable regional cooking style. Often the food allotted to plantation slaves was what the white overseers had no use for, thus pigs feet and intestines (chitlings) would become celebrated components of soul food. Anyone who has spent time in a black US neighbourhood will be aware that the most celebrated local restaurant will be one specialising in soul food. Yet beyond the ‘hood, soul food is not easily found. Celebrating soul food with music and a cookbook means you can listen to the grooves while you cook. Thus you get a 18-track CD that largely focuses on classic rhythm and blues tunes from the 50s and 60s. Dig these titles: ‘Pig Snoots’ by Andre Williams, ‘Fried Neck Bones and Some Homefries’ by Willie Bobo and ‘Bar-B-Q-Ribs’ by Raynel Wynglas. Most of these tracks are pretty obscure and they're all a lot of fun. Compiler Sven Christ looks to Louisiana – choosing a Dr John tune that celebrates gumbo (not generally found in soul food restaurants as Louisiana has its own cuisine) – and today's urban ghetto with rappers RZA and The Goodie Mob both shouting out to the food they love. The cookbook is in English and German and comes with an introduction giving the history of soul food. It has dozens of recipes, often adding some information of the origins of the dish – several have their roots, it seems, in Native American cooking. This is a great package – even if you can't imagine cooking these extremely tasty, very fattening dishes – and is a fine celebration of how closely intertwined the sensual pleasures of food and music are. Now, what recipe shall I try for lunch – Succotash or Gator Stew?