WORDS & PHOTOS Caroline Rosen
Consider the okra. The word originated in Nigeria, where abundant varieties of the vegetable grow freely. Not native to the American South, had West Africans never been forcibly brought to the United States as slaves, okra would not be served in every restaurant from New Orleans to Charleston. While we use the Nigerian word for okra, in other Bantu languages the vegetable is known as “kingombo.” Unsurprisingly, the vegetable stew that makes great use of okra goes by the name “gumbo.” The history of okra cannot be decoupled from the history of slavery.
If you found that last paragraph interesting, then you will love the Southern Foodways Alliance. The SFA is a group of academics, chefs, food producers, food writers, and food lovers who study and celebrate Southern Food and Southern Culture. SFA calls Oxford, Mississippi home, based at the University of Mississippi’s Center for the Study of Southern Culture. The organization’s mission: “set a common table where black and white, rich and poor — all who gather — may consider our history and our future in a spirit of reconciliation.” SFA uses food as the starting point for conversations about culture, race, gender and religion in the South.
Alabama features prominently in the history and leadership of the SFA. The organization was founded in Birmingham in 1999, and dinner at Highlands Bar and Grill was the SFA’s first act after its founding. Frank and Pardis Stitt of Highalnds Bar and Grill have served on the SFA board of directors at various times, and Jim ‘N Nicks BBQ Restaurant provides enormous financial support for the organization.
SFA’s biggest event of the year is the symposium, held in and around Oxford, Mississippi annually in October. The symposium features speakers from across the United States who discuss different aspects of Southern food and Southern culture. For instance, a few years ago a speaker discussed a specific species of mirliton (or chayote squash) that grew in backyards in New Orleans. For decades, people in low-income areas of New Orleans grew mirliton in vines that wrapped around the chain-link fences of their backyards. The fruit grew prolifically, meaning neighbors constantly shared extra with neighbors, making slaws, salads, and seafood and breadcrumb stuffed mirliton during holidays. The mirliton was part of the fabric of life for these communities.
Then came hurricane Katrina, flooding New Orleans and drowning all of the the backyard mirliton. After the storm, communities in New Orleans tried to re-introduce mirliton, but the Costa Rican variety brought to New Orleans failed to grow. Researchers determined that the pre-Katrina backyard mirliton had evolved to grow in the rough, shallow, wet and often contaminated soil of New Orleans. The new varieties, coming from Costa Rica, were acclimated to rich, tropical soil, having never been forced to develop the ability to grow in unfavorable conditions. Today, almost 10 years after Katrina, mirliton remains a casualty of the hurricane. While mirliton initially seems like a fairly limited topic, this lecture made it clear that an important part of New Orleans food culture was lost, and was likely never coming back.
In addition to the lectures and speakers, the SFA symposium features food. Lots of it. Chefs from around the United States are asked to prepare meals for lunch, dinner, and a Sunday brunch to close the symposium. These meals have become a competition among the chefs, each trying to outdo meals cooked at the symposium the year before. The winners are the attendees, who have enjoyed dishes such as boiled peanuts and edamame from Chef Edward Lee of Louisville, a 12 course barbeque lunch made entirely of vegetables from Chef Ashley Christianson of Raleigh, North Carolina, and a brunch featuring squid-ink pasta from Alon Shaya of New Orleans, Louisiana.
This year, the SFA is celebrating “Women at Work,” and women will do all of the speaking, cooking, and presenting at this year’s symposium. Although tickets for the event have already sold out, MADE will be there covering all of the talks and all of the food. Check our website regularly between October 4 and October 6 for updates.
For information and SFA memberships, visit www.southernfoodways.org.