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The term Soul Food came into use during the mid-1960s, when the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power movements were in full stride. Although most ethnic groups have certain "cultural foods" they associate with their youth, their family or special events. Soul food" is a term primarily associated with means African-Americans. During slavery food consumption differed greatly from the African diet that leaned more toward vegetables and less toward meats. Diet during the Middle Passage included old beef, rotten fish and salt. An insufficient amount of water given on these voyages has been discussed as a possible source of hypertension in African Americans (The Middle Passage). Through the ingenuity of some captives and European traders, seeds from the fruits and vegetables Africans consumed on the continent were transported into the Americans and included such diverse items as watermelons and okras which became staple crops in the American South. For the most part, Africans had to assemble their meals from the discards or leftovers from the "Big House." NAME maintains that "their vegetables were the tops of turnips and beets and dandelions. Soon they were cooking with new types of greens: collards, kale, cress, mustard and pokeweed. Lard, onions, garlic, thyme and bay leaf was used for seasoning. Other dishes included corn meal used to make hoecakes or ashcakes cooked over an open fire and sweetened by black molasses. Meat rations often consisted of various parts of slaughtered pig such as pig's feet, ham hocks, chitterlings, pig ears, hog jowl, tripe, and crackling (skin). Other meat might be obtained by hunting for small animals like possums. Today the Soul Food of slavery days has evolved into to a sophisticated and creatively prepared range of foods that includes the African and American traditions. Candied sweet potatoes or yams, collard greens, black eyed peas, fried chicken, Crab cakes, fried catfish, Carrot and Raisin, salad. Hush puppies. Corn pone, Red beans and rice and Stewed okra and tomatoes and grits boiled or fried
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