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{"id":18067,"date":"2024-03-05T13:37:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-05T18:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/voodoouniverse\/?p=18067"},"modified":"2024-03-05T13:37:00","modified_gmt":"2024-03-05T18:37:00","slug":"heritage-cooking-high-on-the-hog-and-hunger-thoughts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/voodoouniverse\/2024\/03\/heritage-cooking-high-on-the-hog-and-hunger-thoughts\/","title":{"rendered":"Heritage Cooking, High On The Hog, And Hunger …Thoughts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

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Personally I have always been a proponent of heritage cooking, and also a big fan of Jessica B. Harris, so when I saw the new Netflix show High on the Hog: How African-American Cuisine Transformed America<\/a> appeared, I was hungry to see what it would present. Based on Harris\u2019 book of the same name the show traces a journey through both history and food.<\/p>\n

There is a lot to unpack here, and I will start where the show does, as close as possible to the beginning. The series begins in Benin, a place which holds great cultural significance. It is here that we find the roots of Black cuisine: okra, yams, and much more. We find out how these delicious beginnings make the journey across the waters.\u00a0 For those interested in learning more I suggest checking out the documentaries In Search of Voodoo<\/a> by Djimon Hounsou and From Brooklyn to Benin<\/a> by Regine Roumain, one of our favorite filmmakers, who we profiled before here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jessica B. Harris is a James Beard lifetime award winner, and her book High on the Hog<\/strong><\/a>, has been serving up culinary realness for almost a decade. She has been profiled here on this blog before when we reviewed her book My Soul Looks Back<\/strong>. Harris has a delightful way of combining food histories with life herstories, and we\u2019re here for it in every way.<\/p>\n

An article in the New York Times titled \u201cThe Profound Significance of \u2018High on the Hog<\/a>\u2018\u201d talks about the crew and their powerful mission \u201d The four-episode show was made by an intentionally Black creative team \u2014 itself a rarity in television. Fabienne Toback and Karis Jagger are executive producers. Roger Ross Williams is the primary director of the series, with Yoruba Richen and Jonathan Clasberry. It\u2019s based on the 2011 book by the historian and prolific cookbook author Jessica B. Harris, \u201cHigh on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America,<\/strong>\u201d and hosted by Stephen Satterfield, a food writer, former sommelier and trained chef who is also the founder of Whetstone Media.\u00a0At the center of the series is the holistic experience of Black foodways, told for us, by us: our unique and complex migration, diverse customs, creativity and expertise on full display. Blending a cross section of stories that address land and ownership, preservation and innovation, from fine dining to the outdoor pit, \u201cHigh on the Hog\u201d is an energetic, emotional and deeply nuanced celebration of Black people and their food. It is also sorely overdue.\u201d<\/p>\n

We can not agree more, so often we see media like this dominated by white creatives who filter authentic black narratives, this is a refreshing change. And just as with a great meal I intend to savor every bite. I\u2019m very pleased to see that a second season has been released. It was so fantastic we even dedicated an episode of our Pop Occulture vidcast to it. You can watch that here \u2013<\/p>\n