Black Authored Cookbooks & Blogs- People to follow & Cookbooks to Cook from
Since this is a food related blog, I wanted to share a few talented cooks, chefs, blogs, and cookbooks with you from POC. If we solely talk about the food world/food media it has become very evident and clear that it is extremely hard for POC to pierce into it, and make their voices heard - this is something that has been going on for the longest time, and just recently has been brought to light by multitudes of people working in these fields.
It’s sad to know that it took an uprising to shed light on the countless talented chefs out there and their creations but I hope that this is the start of a real change and difference.
I’ve rummaged through numerous instagrams, websites and articles to find 15 of my favourite blogs/websites/chefs as well as 15 cookbooks that I think are the most intriguing and different. - A little disclaimer: I do not own any of these book as of right now, I based my opinions off of reviews, recipe extracts, interviews, and previews.
Blogs/chefs to follow:
Cookbooks:
Vegetable kingdom - Bryant Terry
‘More than 100 beautifully simple recipes that teach you the basics of a great vegan meal centred on real food, not powders or meat substitutes—from the James Beard Award-winning chef and author of Afro-Vegan’- Penguin Random House
‘Jubilee presents techniques, ingredients, and dishes that show the roots of African American cooking—deeply beautiful, culturally diverse, fit for celebration. JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNER, IACP AWARD FINALIST, NAMED ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review, The New Yorker, NPR, Chicago Tribune, The Atlantic, BuzzFeed, Food52 ‘- Penguin Random House
In Bibi’s Kitchen- Hawa Hassan & Julia Turshen
‘Grandmothers from eight eastern African countries welcome you into their kitchens to share flavourful recipes and stories of family, love, and tradition in this transporting cookbook-meets-travelogue.’- Penguin Random House
Cooking solo: The fun of cooking for yourself - Klancy Miller
‘Klancy Miller is here to show that cooking for one is something to embrace. While making single servings from other cookbooks means scaling down ingredients, adjusting cooking times, or being stuck with leftovers, Cooking Solo gives readers just what they need to make a delicious meal—all for themselves.’- Indiebound
Black girl baking - Jerrelle Guy
‘Jerrelle leads you on a sensual baking journey using the five senses, retelling and reinventing food memories while using ingredients that make her feel more in control and more connected to the world and the person she has become. Whole flours, less refined sugar and vegan alternatives make it easier to celebrate those sweet moments that made her who she is today.’- Barnes & Noble
Sweet potato soul, southern flavours of smoke, spice and soul- Jenné Clairborne
‘100 vegan recipes that riff on Southern cooking in surprising and delicious ways, beautifully illustrated with full-color photography.’ - Penguin Random House
Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen- Zoe Adjonyoh
‘If you're already familiar with good home-cooked Ghanaian food, you'll find new ways to incorporate typical flavours - such as plenty of fresh fish and seafood, hearty salads and spices with a kick. If you're new to it, you'll no doubt be surprised and delighted at the relative ease of cooking these tempting dishes. Most of the ingredients are easy to come by at supermarkets or local shops, and the recipes are super flexible - you can take the basic principles and adapt them easily to what you have available in your cupboard or fridge. Zoe's Ghana Kitchen will help you bring something truly exciting and flavour-packed to the kitchen. Get ready to be a part of bringing African food to the masses. ‘- Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen
The Africa Cookbook - Jessica B Harris
‘With more than two hundred traditional and contemporary recipes, The Africa Cookbook is a unique window into the long culinary history of a diverse continent… Prominent scholar Jessica Harris has assembled a collection of recipes that reflects the modern innovations and rich heritage of kitchens across Africa. Illustrated with archival photographs and peppered with history and anecdote, The Africa Cookbook is a celebration of cultures and individuals whose contributions to the way we eat have long been ignored.’ - Simon & Schuster
Cooking with my mother - Elsy Dinvil
‘This book offers a cultural window into a middle class Haitian family that might differ from the taboos and misconceptions about Haiti. Tasteful authentic Haitian recipes weave through Elsy Dinvil's exciting childhood stories and experiences! While this book gives a feel for how most Haitian families do things, it pulls and invites the reader to have fun in the kitchen cooking from scratch, learn how to cook the most popular dishes in Haitian cuisine, and become a confident cook.’- Creole Me Up
The new way to cake- Benjamina Ebuehi
‘Unlock a whole new world of flavour with Benjamina Ebuehi's signature cakes. Inspired by her journey to 'The Great British Bake Off' and beyond, Benjamina's groundbreaking recipes put flavour at the forefront by letting the star ingredients - toasted nuts, fragrant spices, bold herbs and ripe fruit - do all the work… Beautiful, minimal finishing touches make a big impact, highlighting the exciting ingredients within.’ - Blackwell’s
Ethiopia: Recipes and Traditions from the Horn of Africa - Yohanis Gebreyesus & Jeff Koehler
‘Chef Yohanis takes the reader on a journey through all the essential dishes of his native country, including the traditional Injera synonymous with an Ethiopia feast, along the way telling wondrous stories of the local communities and customs. Complete with photography of the country's stunning landscapes and vibrant artisans, this book demonstrates why Ethiopian food should be considered as one of the world's greatest, most enchanting cuisines.’- Barnes' & Noble
‘Lope Ariyo’s beautiful book is a vibrant, inspiring introduction to Nigerian cuisine and reveals the incredible variety of aromatics, ingredients and methods that characterise West African cooking. Hibiscus is packed with delicious, fresh recipes that invite you to experiment with stunning flavour combinations and are guaranteed to tantalise your tastebuds.- Waterstones
New World Sourdough: Artisan Techniques for Creative Homemade Fermented Breads - Bryan Ford
‘New World Sourdough is your go-to guide to baking sourdough breads at home. Learn how to make a sourdough starter, basic breads, as well as other innovative baked goods from start to finish with Bryan Fords... With less emphasis on perfecting crumb structure or obsessive temperature monitoring, Ford focuses on the tips and techniques he’s developed in his own practice, inspired by his Honduran roots and New Orleans upbringing, to ensure your success and a good return on your time and effort… Each recipe includes modifications for both instant yeast and a sourdough starter… New World Sourdough offers practical accessible techniques, and enticing, creative recipes you'll want to return to again and again.’- Booktopia
‘A renowned culinary historian offers a fresh perspective on our most divisive cultural issue, race, in this illuminating memoir of Southern cuisine and food culture that traces his ancestry—both black and white—through food, from Africa to America and slavery to freedom… In this unique memoir, culinary historian Michael W. Twitty takes readers to the white-hot center of this fight, tracing the roots of his own family and the charged politics surrounding the origins of soul food, barbecue, and all Southern cuisine.’- Harper Collins
The Red Rooster Cookbook: The Story of Food and Hustle in Harlem- Marcus Samuelsson
‘By the New York Times best-selling superstar chef Marcus Samuelsson, multicultural recipes and Southern comfort food from his restaurant Red Rooster, reflecting Harlem's storied past and vibrant present.’- Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Some interesting articles to read:
I hope I’ve shared some new chefs as well as cookbooks you may be interested in, as well as a tiny insight on how the food media has been working. It’s important to note that the issues that have be brought to light in food media are not only relevant in the US but also in the UK- not many articles have been written as of now, but some people working in those fields have spoken out.
It’s time to change where we get our recipes from- no more Jollof, Jerk chicken, Gumbo... from companies that financially gain from appropriating other peoples cultures but choose to not speak out when these cultures need help, chose to not address the lack of diversity in their offices, choose to not do or say anything about it, choose to use this movement as a form of marketing and choose to not give credit where it’s due.
If you’re in a position where you can help someone - whether it’s giving them experience, sharing their work, considering to employ or work with them, please do. And if you know of any magazines, companies etc… that need to do better- contact them, dm, call, comment on their posts… and demand for change.