Transcript African American Culture

African
American
Culture
Rachel Lee, Jordan Ellick, Juillian Ceasrine
Background
• African-American culture came to America in the 14th century
through slave trade
• African American slaves were farmers, cattle raisers, and
fisherman.
• Slaves created their own meals from their master’s leftovers
• Leftover unfavorable cuts of meat such as the small intestines
of pig, pig’s feet, beef tongue, pigs ear, ham hocks.
• Also used game, rabbit, and raccoon that they caught on
their own
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Breakfast developed to be the most important meal of the day and
consisted of hoecakes and molasses.
Background
• During times of slavery, young girls learned to
prepare fufu. This consisted of vegetables and
pounded yams.
• Women would typically work 16 to 18 hours in the
fields and then prepare one-pot meals for the family
• African’s encountered food supplies of the
Europeans, they embraced foods such as turnips
from Morocco and cabbage from Spain.
• Terms like “soul brother” “soul sister” and “soul
music” were taking hold, “soul food” was natural.
The word “soul” was used to honor their ancestors
from the slavery era
Traditional Beliefs and
Practice
• Strong kinship bonds
• Common for extended family to live in household
• Strong religious orientation
• Religious commitment is high
• In one study 85% of African Americans described themselves as religious.
This is much larger than the 56% of the U.S. who describe themselves as
religious
• Most are Protestant
• More than half of African American’s attend religious services as least once a
week
• prayer is the most common way to deal with stress
• More religious than the US population as a whole
• Use of informal support network such as church or community
• Distrust of government and social services
• Strong sense of pride, do not like to admit they need help
Communication Practices
• Trust-building comes from listening, respecting
silence, and honoring the elderly
• Because African-Americans have experienced much
segregation in the health care and social service
systems it is important to show respect. This will
put them more at ease and establish rapport
• Use terms such as Mr. Mrs. And do not address by
first name
• Familiar with Anglo-American communication
patterns
• Prolonged eye-contact may be perceived as staring
Common Foods and
Dishes
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Biscuits
Black eyed- peas
Barbeque beef short ribs
Catfish
Fried fish
Chitlins
Collard greens Corn bread
Grits
Okra
Daily Food Patterns
• Breakfast
• Most important meal of the day
• Can range from eggs and grits to just a bowl of cereal
• Lunch and Dinner
• Usually baked or fried chicken with either rice or pasta
• Vegetables
• Mash potatoes
• Rice or pasta
• Family meal time is very important
Holidays
• Celebrate the same traditional holidays as
America does
• Kwanzaa
• seven-day festival in celebration of the
African heritage of African Americans,
beginning on Dec. 26.
Kwanza
• It is a traditional African harvest festivals but particularly
emphasizes the role of the family and community in AfricanAmerican culture.
• The celebration also includes the giving of gifts and a karamu, or
African feast
• Principles
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Umoja- unity
Kujichagulia- self- determination
Ujima- collective work and responsibility
Ujamaa- cooperative economics
Nia- purpose
Kuumba- creativity (celebrated on December 31st)
Imani- Faith
Tradition Food Habits
• The greatest influence on many African-American families is the lifestyle
of their parent or grandparents who lived in the southern United States
• The society is based on religious ceremonies, feasting, cooking, and
raising food
• Popular term for African American cooking is “soul food”
• Common ways to prepare food includes frying, barbecuing, and serving
foods with gravy and sauces
• Some religious groups have restrictions or dietary preferences
• Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses
• Meats are often breaded and fried because of the short cooking time
Traditional Food Habits
• For African slaves, after long hours working the evening meal was
a time for families to gather, reflect, tell stories, and visit loved
ones and friends
• Today, the Sunday meal after church serves as the prime gathering
time
• Kwanza (“first fruits of the harvest” is a holiday celebration that
focuses on the traditional African values of family, community
responsibility, commerce and self-improvement
• Feast includes a black-eyed pea dish, greens, sweet potato pudding,
cornbread, fruit cobbler, and any other special family dishes.
• Fork beliefs and remedies have been passed down through
generations
• Medicinal uses of various foods
What a Dietician Should
Know
• Many traditional foods are rich in nutrients
• Other parts of the diet are low in fiber, calcium, potassium, and high in
fat.
• There is a high incidence of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and
obesity
• They should focus on the way food is prepared
• Encourage people to modify the sodium, fat, and sugar content of
traditional foods
• They should encourage their client to pay attention to portion size
• Any stereotyping or assumptions that “all” African American people like
the same foods and have the same lifestyle should be avoided
Resources
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3189498/figure/F1/
http://www.soul-food-advisor.com/Soul-Food-History.html
http://americanfood.about.com/od/resourcesadditionalinfo/a/Soul-Food-History-And-Definition.htm
http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/soul-food-brief-history
http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/society/kwanzaa.html#ixzz2zwB3LNaq
http://www4.uwm.edu/cc/cup/uploaded_docs/upload/African-American-Volume.pdf
http://www.adultmeducation.com/SocialandEconomicFactors_4.html
http://www.njptc.org/training/materials/Rutgers/SSW_SchoolSocWkrs/CulturalImpact%20Synopsis.pdf
http://www.psychiatry.org/african-americans
http://www.pewforum.org/2009/01/30/a-religious-portrait-of-african-americans/
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/pdf/5250.pdf
http://clinical.diabetesjournals.org/content/22/4/190.full
http://www.diet.com/g/africanamerican-diet