Final Black Historical past Month, I searched the time period decolonize on Instagram and got here throughout accounts like @decolonizemyself, @decolonizeyourbookshelf, and the time period decolonized food regimen, coined by writer Devon Abbott Mihesuah in her 2020 e-book Recovering Our Ancestors’ Gardens. It means consuming how Indigenous and Black folks ate previous to colonialism and has develop into one thing of a social motion; the #decolonizeyourdiet hashtag seems in additional than 15,000 Instagram posts. Previous to final February’s deep dive, I hadn’t realized the extent to which Western European staples—from ketchup to mustard and hamburgers to pasta—decided not solely what I selected to eat but additionally what I selected to learn and the merchandise I used on my pores and skin and hair. As an African American girl, it received me questioning what it could be wish to return to my roots and devour meals sans Western European affect.
So in the beginning of this Black Historical past Month, I made a decision to decolonize my very own food regimen, hoping to realize a deeper sense of connection to my ancestors, and to reap the well being advantages of West African delicacies. I quickly came upon this could imply much more than swapping out my weekly run to In-N-Out burger for a plant-based stew or seasoned fish with steamed candy potatoes. Earlier than beginning, I did some analysis on which international locations had colonized African nations, and located that I must shirk meals and substances from England, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and the modern-day Ottoman Empire. What I assumed would develop into a horror story—one rife with fears I might cave over a plate of greasy meals and an ice-cold soda—become a brand new way of life.
Decolonizing my food regimen additionally taught me loads about colonizers’ unfavorable influence on African Individuals’ well being: As African Individuals, we take satisfaction in producing and sharing wealthy meals at vacation gatherings, cookouts, and sporting occasions. But the meals we name ours has been tainted by colonial substances. Many “conventional” African American dishes come from using leftovers that masters refused to eat. Pigs toes, oxtail, and cornmeal are all meals that got to African Individuals as leftovers in the course of the slavery period. Right this moment, fatty and salty meals are major substances in soul food, dishes we embrace with a deep sense of satisfaction. What started as a food regimen wealthy with freshly steamed candy potatoes, corn, and kale has become sugary candy potatoes, grits seeping in butter, and okra soaked in fats from meat.
Many “conventional” African American dishes come from using leftovers that masters refused to eat. Pigs toes, oxtail, and cornmeal are all meals that got to African Individuals as leftovers in the course of the slavery period.
As the continued international pandemic wore on, I had begun looking for extra consolation not solely in soul meals but additionally in sugary drinks and quick meals, and was cautious of changing into a statistic: 4 out of 5 Black women within the US are obese or overweight. We now have the best weight problems charges of any group in America, with 40.7 percent of Black adults qualifying as overweight. The decolonization of our diets is not only about embracing our heritage; additionally it is a motion to deal with the truth that African Individuals traditionally have struggled with high blood pressure, cardiac problems, and obesity. Maybe by seeking to our roots relating to what we put into our our bodies, African Individuals can discover some aid from well being points which have disproportionately plagued us.
I made a decision to be aware of each single factor I consumed for every week. No extra greasy meals from giant firms. No extra sweets on “soul meals Sunday.” I started by stocking up on fruit, nuts, and legumes. I began my days with West African dough from an area market alongside fried bananas and fruit. I cooked every little thing with palm oil, a conventional staple in West African delicacies. The style of candy, crisp bananas alongside proteins like crunchy nuts and grilled meat made my mornings. I additionally began my days by attempting a number of black teas from Kenya and South Africa, which had been a lot stronger than I anticipated.
Lunch was my favourite meal to arrange whereas decolonizing my food regimen. Most of my meals consisted of beans and wild rice alongside a bit of rooster or fish. I seasoned each proteins and grains with wealthy spices like turmeric and nutmeg, and observed that almost all of my meals had been naturally sweeter than I might’ve anticipated. I snacked on nuts and coconut milk yogurt all through the day to curb cravings for french fries and buttered fettuccine. When dinner got here round, I observed I used to be a lot hungrier than typical; I desperately yearned for French bread, a facet dish I used to eat virtually day by day, alongside an Italian or Mediterranean dish. This month, nonetheless, I’ve been ending my days with rooster or seafood made with a splash of palm oil and sea salt. I’ve fallen in love with the full-bodied taste of palm oil and plan to proceed utilizing it every day. Late at night time, I are inclined to get misplaced within the candy taste of chin chin, a bite-size West African dessert fabricated from fried dough.
The unique plan was to spend seven days consuming a typical West African food regimen. Afterward, I didn’t simply discover that I felt more healthy; I spotted that it was time to place down colonial influences altogether, and I now plan to proceed consuming this manner for the remainder of Black Historical past Month. I selected to decolonize my food regimen to have a good time myself as an act of affection and acceptance. Decolonizing my food regimen was not primarily about me; it was about honoring and recognizing the battle of my ancestors. Sure, I wished to deal with my physique with the respect and style it deserves after a whole bunch of years of my folks struggling by the hands of colonizers. However decolonizing my food regimen was primarily about selecting to chorus from the meals my grandmother consumed as she picked cotton somewhat than attending highschool.
As I proceed decolonizing my food regimen, I really feel compelled to consider the remnants of slavery and have observed how its repercussions have an effect on me day by day. Consuming a decolonized food regimen is an act of rebel and liberation. I hope that every one Black folks can discover that sense of liberation too. Or no less than a style of it.
