Maya McFadden Photo
Members of the audience taste Terry’s recipe.
While cooking up a savory carrot soup, nationally known “vegan eco-chef” and cookbook author Bryant Terry diced up a history lesson on the flavors and ingredients of African American food for Black History Month.
Yale’s Afro-American Cultural Center and the Yale Sustainable Food Program brought the chef and food justice activist to campus for one segment of a four-part “Cooking Across the Black Diaspora” series to discuss the impact of food culturally and socially. (Other chefs who participated in the series this month were Nyesha Arrington, Paola Velez, and Kiki Louya.)
Terry’s turn, complete with a cooking demonstration, took place Wednesday evening at the Yale Afro-American Cultural Center.
In what Terry called a “lecture demo,” he led a talk with the public on the history of food insecurity and efforts to feed the community, as he simultaneously began making the soup with the cooking of his aromatics: garlic, onion, and celery.
Terry debuted the recipe from his newest cookbook, Vegetable Kingdom. While cooking he shared a variety of cooking tips for the audience.
Tip #1: Always cut your vegetables evenly.
Terry said decided on his carrot soup recipe for the demo because of carrots’ accessibility. He also wanted to share a recipe that can be easily made by college students, thanks to its use of minimal ingredients.
“If you can boil a pot of water, you can make carrot soup,” Terry said.
The Wednesday collaboration was also part of a celebration of the 50th anniversary of both the Afro-American Cultural Center and Yale Department of African American Studies.
Terry last came to town in 2014 to have a similar gathering and discussion at the Beulah Heights First Pentecostal Church on Orchard Street.
After lightly cooking his aromatics, Terry began adding his homemade seasoning mixture, ras el hanout.
Tip #2: Use whole spices not preground mixtures
Terry discussed the Black Panther Party’s free breakfast program, which provided meals to children starting in 1969. “We are still dealing with these same food system issues today as they were,” Terry said.
Terry and the audience agreed that food and cultural identity go hand in hand. Terry discussed the many stereotypes he has heard about African American cooking always being unhealthy. “I want to complicate the understanding of how black people eat,” he said.
Referring to his 20 years of experience in cooking and food activism, Terry said he hopes his work will illuminate the historical legacy of African American’s agricultural skills for cooking.
“The roots of our dishes are hearty and flavorful,” he said.
The lack of accessibly to healthful food constitutes what Terry called a public health crisis particularly affecting African Americans throughout history.
“The government didn’t want to feed these children until they were shamed into it because of the Black Panther Party’s work,” Terry said.
Attendees partner up to discuss their fondest food experiences.
Next, Terry added his homemade broth to the pot of ingredients and added his chopped carrots.
Tip #3: Eat what is in season.
“Mother nature knows what we should be eating and when,” Terry said.
Terry’s choice of carrot soup was also in part because carrots are in season.
To complete his recipe, Terry used an immersion blender to smooth out his soup with the option of adding coconut milk for creaminess. “You want the soup to pour easily off the spoon,” he said.
To close the evening out, copies of Terry’s cookbook were sold by members of the People Get Ready Bookstore. Terry personally signed them for audience members.
Bryant Terry signs copies of his new book for attendee’s.
The Bible says that He will give us more life abundantly, but He demands strict obedience to His Will. There is no way of prolonging the life of human beings or any other life unless it begins with restrictions of the foods which sustain life, the right kinds of food and the proper time when it should be taken into our bodies. Jehovah"
― Elijah Muhammad, How To Eat To Live: Book 1
He should have talk about how The Black church culture is out of alignment with some biblical teachings, particularly when it comes to how we eat. Church culture has got us drinking Kool-Aid, eating white bread, fried chicken, large servings of macaroni and cheese and collard greens drenched with salty hog maws (foods that are high in sugar, salt, calories, and carbohydrates that trigger health problems). We're eating this in the church basement at dinner and at church conventions! Meanwhile, the Bible teaches against gluttony.
I notice he has a Dead Prez stick on his lap top.
Dead Prez - Be Healthy + LYRICS
https://youtu.be/0yw5Mf9RlW0