Topic: Michael Twitty

Culinary historian Michael Twitty explores how enslaved Africans laid the foundation for Southern cuisine through small, self-sustaining garden plots. Because enslaved people were often barred from owning cattle or hogs, chicken and guinea fowl became symbols of empowerment and status. The shift toward unhealthier diets occurred during the Great Migration, as families moved from rural agricultural settings to urban environments with limited access to fresh produce.