Black Food: Week Two
Uncle Nearest's Legacy
When I first started drinking (legally), my go-to drink was a whiskey sour (pg. 179). This recipe is from Toni Tipton-Martin and is much better than the ones I used to knock back at my hometown dive bar.
In this recipe, Toni mentions Nearest Green, the first Black master distiller in the United States. It reminded me of when my mom and I took our road trip through Tennessee, where we made a pitstop at the Jack Daniel’s Distillery and learned all about Mr. Green’s legacy.
Nathan “Nearest” Green was an enslaved man credited with teaching Jack Daniels the whiskey-making technique that has made the brand popular after all these years. According to the Nearest Green Foundation, this same technique is required in order for a whiskey to be considered a Tennessee whiskey. After emancipation, Nearest Green and Jack Daniel formed a legacy-defining partnership. (Even though it took about 150 years to be recognized…)
You can read more about Nearest Green’s incredible history here. Or if you’re ever near Lynchburg, I recommend paying the Jack Daniel’s Distillery a visit!
February Cookbook: Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora by Bryant Terry
I had never heard of baobab and wrote it off as something I wouldn’t easily be able to find. Then, as I was making an order from my beloved Nuts.com, I saw they sold it! (They truly do have everything.) So I added it to my cart and tried the baobab panko salmon (pg. 232). Baobab powder is a superfood packed with tons of vitamins and has a citrusy sweet flavor, which makes it a great pairing for salmon. In this recipe, Zoe Adjonyoh mixes in panko and other spices to add a satisfying crunch. The wild rice is from the one and only, Uncle Ben’s.
I love a pound cake so the cinnamon pound cake (pg. 111) was a must-make. This is a straightforward recipe but adapted from Jocelyn Delk Adams’ grandmother’s famous recipe. I wish my cinnamon swirl were more pronounced but it tasted great!
Thanks for reading, sweeties! 🍎
Ok, I'm going to need you to freeze me a piece of that pound cake. Yum!