What Foods Are YOUR Soul Foods?
Even though the term “soul food” used to be synonymous with African American cooking it now encompasses ethnic or heritage cooking from around the world.
Soul food can be seen as ethnic or immigrant cuisine that encompasses the traditions of the past. Foods that are cooked from the heart. Foods that have meaning steeped in culture and family history.
Soul food is all about heritage, tradition and family. The recipes are almost always made from memory and to taste. You KNOW when the soup is perfect. You don’t need a timer, because you can tell by looking, that the baked goodies are ready to take out of the oven.
The “recipes” are passed down through the generations. They are ethnic family recipes that come …
STRAIGHT FROM THE SOUL.
SOUL FOOD is an instant flashback to the past. It can be a flashback to places and to people. It comes complete with the traditions and the cultural way-of-life passed down through the generations.
Because the term Soul Food originated in African American culture of the rural southeastern states, it often brings up images of crispy deep fried chicken, slow cooked BBQ ribs, collard and mustard greens, cornbread and sweet bread puddings.
In my family the soul food traditions comes from my mother’s side of the family. We had no connection with my father’s family’s Irish heritage when growing up.
My mother’s family immigrated to Canada from Russia. They were Doukhobors persecuted for hundreds of years in Russia and finally given refuge in Canada in the late 1800’s by Queen Victoria. The first emigrants started arriving in Canada in 1899.
Doukhobors were originally vegetarian. They arrived off the boats in early fall and had to trek half way across Canada to their new home. Due to the harsh Canadian winter they were forced to eat meat (the animals that pulled their carts) to survive. Years later most of the food served at my grandparents table was vegetarian … even though the farm yard was filled with chickens, turkeys, cows (milk) and pigs. Meat WAS eaten, but only on occasion and very sparingly.
MY List Of Doukhobor Immigrant Soul Foods Consists Of:
Borsht — This traditional family soup is on the very top of my soul food list. I make a giant vat of it every few months. This is a vegetarian borsht filled with cabbage, tomatoes, carrots and potatoes. It is NOT the beet soup many people associate with Ukrainian borsht.
My grandmother would make giant, softball-sized lead-sinkers that were basically lumps of flour and water. They were simmered in the borsht for hours and were served with vats of melted butter. OMG even the thought of them has my mouth watering!
Pirozhki — are either savory tarts filled with home made cottage cheese, beans or peas and drenched with melted butter OR sweet tarts filled with summer berries of all kinds, served with a big dollop of sour cream or a river of sweet cream.
Kvass — is a summer soup made with a sour-salt and grated cucumbers, chopped green onions and chopped fresh dill — garnished with chopped boiled eggs. It is very refreshing and was the go-to drink when summer temperatures hit 80 degrees Fahrenheit and the field workers needed to keep hydrated. My grandmother’s recipe was a family recipe that in no way resembles the kvass recipes found on the Internet!
Home Baked Potato Bread. I learned to make bread when I was seven. Every week my grandmother would get the wood stove going and start the dough rising. It would take a full 16 hour day to make the 12 to 20 loaves needed to feed the family and farm crews every week. The bread was made with potato water and mashed potatoes mixed into the wheat dough.
Even though you really shouldn’t slice open a hot loaf of bread … it was a tradition and the first loaf out of the oven was devoured by whomever was lurking in the kitchen and waiting for the oven door to be opened. It was served with home churned butter.
Vareniki. These are the dumplings that some people call pierogies and that are similar to Asian pot stickers. In my family the filling were vegetarian … potatoes mixed with various kinds of cheeses. Small bits of other vegetables were sometimes added … mashed peas, fried mushrooms, caramelized onions and fried carrots.
Now and again the vareniki wrapers were filled with sugar sweetened fruits (peaches, cherries, strawberries).
On very special event occasion (wedding, funerals) they might be made with bacon bits.
Vareniki were always boiled. Sometimes they were additionally fried. They were served with a gravy boat filled with melted butter, or sweet cream (for the fruit ones).
Kasha — my grandmothers version of rice pudding. The rice pudding was made with with rice, sugar, raisins, butter and cinnamon. It was baked until a golden crust made its appearance on top. It was eaten as is, or for the non-purists it was served with a pitcher of sweet cream.
My list of family soul foods isn’t big, but is enough to bring back fond memories every time we get together. Awhile ago, when my Mom turned 90, my brother and his family came for her birthday weekend. I made all six of our soul food dishes. We stuffed ourselves to the gills and feasted on soul food left overs for the next three days. We all agreed that this was our version of HEAVEN.