2022 Black History Month Virtual Potluck

The Black History Month is an annual celebration of black food and black history by black culinary content creators spanning the globe. Participants developed creative recipes using historically recognized ingredients from the black diaspora to align to a common theme and/or thread of social experiences.

We leverage this collaboration to share our stories around food from our unique perspectives.

Continue to follow these amazing creators on Instagram by using the hashtag #BHMVP2022.

We collaborated with more than 30 Black recipe developers as we celebrate Black History Month 2022. This Virtual Potluck explores Black food through the lens of Afrofuturism. Our collaboration of recipes explores the intersection of the Black diaspora via culture, future, geopolitics, imagination, liberation, culture, and technology.

What is Afrofuturism?

Afrofuturism evaluates the past and future to create better conditions for the present generation of Black people through the use of technology, often presented through art, music, and literature.

–Taylor Crumpton, “Afrofuturism Has Always Looked Forward,” Architectural Digest, August 24, 2020

We tasked participants with developing recipes that honor the culinary ingenuity of our past and stretch towards an innovative culinary future.  We sought out to take familiar cultural foods and reimagine them with the ingredients we use, flavors we develop, textures we mold, and visually the way we present.

You will see the concept executed in many ways. Some chose to reinvent dishes from their childhood while others took a more interpretive approach to address a social issue that impacts the black community. We are so proud to share this beautiful round-up of recipes and stories and we hope that you enjoy each one. You can select a recipe to be redirected to their blogs to learn more.

Features & Upcoming BHMVP Events

You can support this initiative by visiting and sharing comments on the sites of each of these amazing participants. You can also support by attending the digital events listed below.

Entrees

by Flights and Foods

As the African Diaspora seeks out alternatives to processed food, more sustainable options, and connections to their roots, plant-based foods will be one of the main ingredients to act as a link toward building that relationship.

Sankofa Bowl w/ Suya Duck Breast

by Food Fidelity

“It features reimagined versions of traditional ingredients from the African diaspora – Suya Spiced Smoked Duck breasts, popped Sorghum, fried Collard Greens Chips, Cherry Egusi Sauce. The dish is unified by a Black Liberation Spice Mix to symbolize unity among black people across the diaspora. The theme is “Sankofa” as represented by the iconic bird that moves forward while looking back symbolic of the act of revisiting the past, taking those learnings of value, and using them as a guide to improve the future with focus on foods that not only tastes good but also help restore our spiritual health.”

Brown Stew Pineapple Chicken with Roasted Groundnuts

by Geo’s Table

“A fusion of a traditional Caribbean Brown Stew Chicken and West African Peanut Stew this dish features pineapple chunks, and sweet and savory notes of brown sugar, ground cloves, allspice, and smoked paprika. It uses ground roasted peanuts (groundnuts) as a thickening agent giving a nutty essence to this stew. “

by Sense & Edibility®

I’m tying my two cultures and cuisines together through this reimagined “seafood and grits” recipe. The look of my dish will reflect the gentrification of both my cultures as I wrestle with the crab not wanting to “assimilate” into the dish. Additionally, the use of banana leaves to cook the grits and coconut shell bowls which I’m serving the dish in will bring awareness to the need for conservation sustainability of natural resources like the coast of Puerto Rico and similar islands.

Coffee and Bourbon Braised Short Ribs

by My Pretty Brown Fit + Eats

“With the origin of coffee being birthed out of the continent of Africa, it has also become a staple worldwide. Growing up in the deep south, this recipe is a beautiful fusion of our parents, grandparents as well as our ancestors. The rich flavors of beef cooked slowly with notes of coffee and bourbon joined by stewed greens and golden grit cakes. A culinary collage of traditional soul food with modern ingenuity and social flair. Hearty meals are a reminder of our perseverance, remind us how to slow down, reflect on how far we’ve come and appreciate the sacrifices made in the kitchen, the gardens, and the fields that came before us.”

Sous Vide Ox Tail with Coconut Rice

by Sweet Tea + Thyme

“Oxtails are rich with a deeply beefy flavor. This recipe updates the cooking technique by sous vide-ing the oxtail, then using the jus to create gravy for southern smothered oxtails that are served over coconut rice and garnished with biased scallions.”

by The Food Disciple

This recipe is to take away the world notion that views African food as unrefined. I hope to influence the way people eat and think about dishes native to Africa, with a modern perspective. I want to encourage us to cook more native dishes and include more native ingredients; which in turn will result in an economic impact for the agricultural industry in Africa, specifically the rural poor areas.

Bobo de Camarao (Brazilian Shrimp Stew)

by Brazilian Kitchen Abroad

“Bobo de Camarao is a classic Afro-Brazilian dish from north eastern Brazil/Bahia, Brazil’s most African state. This dish has evolved a lot over the years already as it’s loved all over Brazil. I plan on reimagining it to slightly adapt this very local dish to the American/international audiences, and as a way to talk about how the dish traveled, and how the fusion of cultures has transformed this dish into what we know today.“

Caribbean Fish and Chips with Tamarind Sauce

by Heal Me Delicious

“While fish and chips have become a symbol of British culture, this reimagined dish calls attention to Britain’s deeply colonial history by using Afro-diasporic ingredients. In doing so, it asks us to recognize the Caribbean and African peoples and economies that have made Britain possible.”

by Kenneth Temple

I  sought to reimagine a Creole classic that’s usually presented in a rustic presentation but I wanted to elevate the dish with new techniques while still embracing the flavors of the culture. A culinary collage of traditional soul food with modern ingenuity and social flair. Okra and tomatoes are two important ingredients to our culture. The Afrofutruism is re imagining the presentation of the dish while focusing on the same flavor profiles but using different cooking techniques. Example: Using confit tomatoes, temperua fried okra and smoked sausage dust.

Curry crab stuffed dumplings

by HomeMadeZagat

“Traditionally crab and dumpling was served as two separate items, and considered a more grassroots dish. Now we have been able to combined them, where all the flavors are fused together giving you a dish that we are now able to serve at more elegant affairs.”

Chicken Plantains and Vegetables

by Black Peoples Recipes

“This combination of chicken plantains and vegetables will be an African-inspired twist on poulet, which is a classic French twist. By adding African spices and plantains, it provides a newer perspective and take on the classic. Poulet D J is a French-inspired dish – a cross between stir-fried chicken meal and fricassee (a classic French stew of chicken and vegetables). Here we add the African influence to it to make it quite special and call on the fact that Afrofuturism is about fusion and bringing different cultures together in a unique way.”

Fried Green Tomato BLT

by Coined Cuisine

“This is a twist on the classic BLT sandwich – here we add fried green tomato slices and serve it on toasted bread with a homemade remoulade sauce. Fried green tomatoes are an essential African-American southern/soul food appetizer, so why not elevate it to the main course using a BL(G)T? I want people to taste this dish and see an elevated soul food classic; something that you would have served in a brunch restaurant with microgreens & a mimosa in hand. Being from Mississippi but now living in a large city, this dish is reflective of a mix between my country roots and my elevated experiences in ATL.”

Desserts

by Meiko And The Dish

Sombi is a Senegalese rice pudding made with simple ingredients like rice, coconut milk, sugar and salt. This version of the humble dessert will topped with a burnt sugar typically seen in a creme brulee and dressed with fresh fruit. The recipe structure mirrors the concept of gentrification, the process whereby the character of a poor urban area is changed by wealthier people moving in and typically displacing current inhabitants in the process. The hard bruleed upper shell represents the covering of cultural roots to create space and opportunity for the more affluent.

Vegan Coconut Cake with Lime Glaze

by Chenée Today

“This cake is a nod to the traditional Southern coconut cake I grew up having at family gatherings, reimagined with plant-based ingredients and the delicious addition of a bright lime glaze. Whereas soul food is often associated with decadent comfort foods heavy with meat and dairy, traditional foods throughout the African diaspora include colorful whole food ingredients, and fit perfectly with a plant-based diet. And given that Black Americans are now the fastest-growing vegan demographic in the United States, citing health, ethical, and environmental reasons, this cake links a cherished soul food tradition with the direction Black food is headed, and our conscious culinary future.”

Coconut & Lime Cornmeal Tres Leches Cake

by Savor and Sage

“This recipe reimagines and combines two dishes—Crumblin’ (Crumble-In), southern comfort food of crumbled cornbread with buttermilk or sweet milk poured over it & and fuses it with Pastel de Tres Leches (Latin America/Caribbean/Southern Europe), a sponge cake that is soaked in a three milk glaze. This recipe fits within the context of Afrofuturism because it’s a fusion of cultures but also my hope is to uplift and show solidarity with Afro-Latinx brothers and sisters and more specifically Mexicans of African descent which have been largely ignored and unrecognized.”

by A Classic Twist

This cake combines two West African flavors in a new way! A nutty vanilla bundt cake with nutrient-dense fonio is topped with tropical and vibrant hibiscus glaze. Fonio is an ancient grain that is nutritious and eaten in most West African countries. Transforming the flour in a dessert is a new way of enjoying this ancient grain and bringing its nutritional flavor to cakes. The fusion with hibiscus, another tropical staple, is a burst of citrus and tart to the glaze.

Fig Cake with Tamarind Glaze

by My Sweet Precision

“This recipe features two foods specific to the African diaspora (figs and tamarind). I’m using these ingredients to reimagine a classic butter cake. The cake has figs layered on top with a tamarind glaze. The story of this recipe is combining the unique ingredients from the past into a common present-day cake recipe. “

Mango Cake and Coconut Cream

by Sims Home Kitchen

“This Upside-Down Mango Cake with Coconut Cream recipe is inspired by my love for baking and West African fruits. Mangoes and coconuts are grown freely in Nigeria as well as other African countries. “

by Britney Breaks Bread

Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart with Candied Peanuts is a beautifully sweet dessert that incorporates west African flavors with American decadence.

Champurrado Custard

by Global Kitchen Travels

“Champurrado is a Cornmeal Chocolate drink from Mexico, where more enslaved people went than the United States. Drawing this connection from a popular Mexican treat to the chocolate harvest and widespread use of cornmeal in Africa. I plan on transforming this simple drink to a luscious custard with chocolate sauce.”

Brown Butter Brulé Bean Pie

by The Queen of Yum

“I think it is important for people to respect and know the history of the old ways of food tradition but be brave enough to push the envelope on execution, fusion, and flavor as it relates to food and food history … I took my adaptation of the Supreme Bean Pie Recipe and added The Queens Fusion to it. “

Appetizers

by Dude That Cookz

Fish Patties with Pontchartrain Sauce reimagines a savory appetizer via a culinary fusion of African and Cajun flavors. Slightly crispy yet tender South African fish cakes (made using potatoes) are seasoned with Cajun spices and herbs, while the traditional Cajun Pontchartrain sauce is prepared using spices from the African diaspora. My take on fish cakes will remain true to the flavors of the diaspora while paying homage to our culinary past and present. Introducing fish cakes creatively and elegantly will certainly tempt those new (or revisiting) African and Cajun flavors to try something new.

Black Eyed Pea And Cornbread

by The Vgn Way

“Our gathering includes black-eyed pea hummus, cornbread crackers, and collard green chips. Afrofuturism joins the culture of the black diaspora, space, and the future. Like sci-fiction; people of color have had to rely on their resilience. From the middle passage to Octavia Butler; lack of resources have always been a challenge, which means one must be ingenious and make what may appear as ordinary or undesired into that which is most desired. The way the food looks may change; will change, but the taste will always call back to the culture.”

Collard Green Hand Pies

by AGirlCalledAdri

“This recipe takes a beloved, familiar, inexpensive, and accessible ingredient and incorporates it into a dish where it is not typically used. I want to hold true to my culture’s traditional foodways and ingredients and apply those elements to new dishes and recipes. I want to look forward to how these principles can be applied in future generations.”

Shrimp Po’ Boy Salad

by Collards Are The Old Kale

“The Shrimp Po’ Boy Salad combines the Senegambian tradition of enjoying wild-caught shrimp with the popularity of the modern-day New Orleans born Po’ Boy sandwich. Transforming the complex carb-heavy sandwich into a salad with gluten-free herb croutons, then sauteing the shrimp partly in cholesterol-free West African Palm Oil, lightens the perennial favorite without omitting any of the flavor.”

Stuffed Shrimp & Grits Collard Green Rolls

by FIOR

“In essence, this recipe plays homage to traditional African cuisine– mixed with creole flair, and topped off with a creamy, creole remoulade sauce for dipping.”

Drinks

by Dash of Jazz

This is a slight twist on the traditional West African hibiscus tea drink, which is the predecessor to sorrel, agua de jamaica, and other similar drinks in the diaspora, and is typically served ice cold. This version is served warm with the thinking that global warming could possibly shift the warm, tropical weather we currently associate with West Africa to chillier temperatures in the future. This also ties to present day in that people descended from the continent live all over the world in all kinds of climates.

Dragon Fruit Pineapple Rum Punch

by Jamieson Diaries

“As a 1st & 2nd generation Black American from Belizean and Jamaican parents- this recipe will share the fusion of my cultures within the African Diaspora and Afrofuturism. I will use various props and colors of red, green, black, and yellow for the styling and storytelling in the food photography. These colors represent the Pan-African flag and parts of Belize and Jamaica’s flags as well.”

Sorrel Martini Popsicles

by Dish It With Tisha

“Sorrel Martini Popsicles combines two classics and represents cultural progress while continuing to pay homage to the past. The popsicles can be enjoyed year-round while continuing to invoke a feeling of community and fellowship. It is the perfect treat for close-knit cookouts and parties with loved ones. “

Nigerian Chapman Cocktail

by Immaculate Ruému

“A drink that lurks in the shadow of the popular hibiscus drinks (zobo/sorrel). An underrated Nigerian cocktail that deserves a seat on the table. Reimagined as more than just a punch but aa an elegant cocktail.”