Vegetarian peanut stew

Groundnut Stew: An Adaptation

This recipe comes from the 1982 cookbook West African Cooking for Black American Families by Adele B. McQueen and Alan L. McQueen. This cookbook was published at a time when African-American cookbooks were on the rise, presumably as an effort to define the meaning of blackness in the era following the emergence of what has come to be known as “soul food” (Bower 117). Before writing this book, McQueen collaborated with the International Women’s Club of Liberia and ran a test kitchen at Howard University to blend traditional African and American cooking (Tipton-Martin 166). The original recipe in Adele B. McQueen’s cookbook is a simple one consisting of groundpeas (groundnuts), chicken, onion, mushrooms, egg, salt, and pepper, which are combined in a stew and served over rice. Modern influence is clear here, as McQueen suggests substituting peanut butter if groundnuts cannot be found. Continue reading

Dilemma or Delinquent

Delusional or Delinquent: The Delimma

“As a culture we seem to have arrived at a place where whatever native wisdom we may once have possessed about eating has been replaced by confusion and anxiety.” – Michael Pollan

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Foooood… It’s beautiful, and it’s repulsive. It’s fragrant, and it’s putrid. It’s delicious, and it’s disgusting. It’s sweet and sour. It’s natural and artificial. It can save a life with its nutrients, but it can just as easily take one with its poison. The point is that food is currently thought of by our culture as an entitled commodity described by the visual attributes, scented aromas, and tasted textures. However, in reality, it serves only one purpose: energy. Continue reading