"The American relationship with shellfish would not be the same without the African and African-American presence."
The statement of culinary historian and chef, Michael Twitty, refers to the impact that Africans and African-Americans have had on the cuisine of this country, specifically with respect to shellfish, such as lobsters and crawfish. Before being brought to the New World, Africans had extensive experience catching, preparing and eating shellfish. Twitty recounts that experience along the African coast from Senegal to Benin. Whether it is lobster in spicy okra stews of Sierra Leone or the large shrimp thrown on red hot grills in Benin, it is well worth the read.
Indeed, it was Twitty's words that drew me to this particular recipe for West African-style Broiled Lobster Tails. Twitty noted the red brick slipper lobsters or spiny lobsters that could be found in a Senegalese market, along with the local cooks who knew how to prepare the crustaceans with available ingredients, including tomatoes, ginger, garlic and habanero peppers. Some of those ingredients - such as the garlic and the chiles - find their way into this recipe, as does the Maggi cube, which seem to find their way into many African recipes.
The foregoing is not just African culinary history, it is also American culinary history. The Africans who were forcefully brought to the New World as slaves brought their knowledge of how to prepare foods. They incorporated that knowledge with the ingredients they found here, such as those lobsters or crawfish. Their work laid the foundation for many of the dishes that can be found on tables in restaurants and at home across our country.
The late Cornelius White working on an oyster skipjack on the Chesapeake Bay (Source: Visit Annapolis) |
These stories are our history. They are important. They should not be reserved for one month in a year. They deserve to be told over and over again, because their contribution needs to be recognized, not forgotten. In the end, each of these stories is proof that there is so much more than what is simply on a plate. That has become the purpose of my blog. Only time will tell if I can fulfill it.
WEST AFRICAN-STYLE BROILED LOBSTER TAILS
Recipe by Michael Twitty, available at Luke's Lobster
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 1 inch piece of roughly chopped fresh turmeric or 2 teaspoons of powdered turmeric
- 1/2 bunch flat leaf or curly parsley, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, leaves and all, roughly chopped
- 3 green onions (scallions), sliced,
- 7 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 small red onion, sliced
- 1 small Scotch Bonnet pepper (spicy) or 1 medium red bell pepper (not spicy), stem removed and chopped
- 1 crushed small Maggi cube
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
No comments:
Post a Comment