Chef Marcus Samuelsson Celebrates Black Food

If anyone asks chef Marcus Samuelsson what African food tastes like, he has the answer: Have you ever had barbeque? Rice? Coffee?

"All of that food comes from Africa, has its roots in Africa," says the Ethiopian Swedish writer and restaurateur. "Everyone has had African American dishes, whether they know it or not."

Samuelsson is chef at the famous Red Rooster restaurant in New York City's Harlem. He is hoping to educate Americans and help Black chefs in a new book. It is called The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food.

The book has 150 recipes and includes the life stories of 26 Black chefs, writers and activists¹. The recipes celebrate Africa and the influence of migration² and integration³. It also examines where modern Black chefs are going next with their food.

"When I look at American food and I look at the Black experience, we've done so much, but almost got erased," said Samuelsson. "There's never been a better time to tell those stories," he added.

His new book is a mix of stories and food, from fish to tea. It includes essays by Osayi Endolyn of California, who writes about food, identity⁵ and culture. It also includes recipe development by Yewande Komolafe, one of Brooklyn, New York's most celebrated⁶ chefs.

Readers will learn how Los Angeles-based chef Nyesha Arrington's cooking is tied to her family history from Mississippi and South Korea. They will learn it takes just 45 minutes to make Eric Gestel's chicken liver⁷ mousse. He perfected the dish after years of cooking at New York's French restaurant Le Bernardin. And they will learn how award-winning New York chef Mashama Bailey is remaking traditional Southern dishes.

Samuelsson compares the food in the book to popular music. He looks at New Orleans and hears jazz from the influence of France, Haiti, Africa and Spain. Black food is no different.

"Our pasts are so unique and it's so important to tell," says Samuelsson. He notes that many cookbooks celebrate European and Asian foods, but few describe Black dishes. Americans know more about cheese products from Italy than the cheese of Ethiopia.

"This is America's past. So, for me, as much as we learn about Japan, as much as we learn about Italy and Spain and so on, wouldn't it be great to learn about our own food? This is America's food," he says.

Words in This Story

chef – n. a professional cook

barbecue – n. meats cooked on an outside grill⁸

dish – n. food that is prepared in a particular way

integration – n. in the U.S., removing barriers between races

recipe – n. a set of instructions for making food

erase⁴ – v. to remove completely

essay – n. a short piece of writing that tells a person's thoughts or opinions about a subject

mousse – n. a cold and sweet food made with whipped⁹ cream or egg whites and usually fruit or chocolate

unique – adj. used to say that something or someone is unlike anything or anyone else

1 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

3 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

4 erase   

v.擦掉；消除某事物的痕迹

参考例句：

• He tried to erase the idea from his mind.他试图从头脑中抹掉这个想法。
• Please erase my name from the list.请把我的名字从名单上擦去。

5 identity   

n.身份，本体，特征；同一(性)，一致

参考例句：

• He never revealed his identity.他从未暴露过自己的身份。
• He showed his identity card and went in.他把工作证亮了一下就进去了。

6 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

7 liver   

n.肝；肝脏

参考例句：

• He has a weak liver.他的肝脏不好。
• The largest organ in the body is the liver.人体最大的器官是肝脏。

8 grill   

n.烤架，铁格子，烤肉；v.烧，烤，严加盘问

参考例句：

• Put it under the grill for a minute to brown the top.放在烤架下烤一分钟把上面烤成金黄色。
• I'll grill you some mutton.我来给你烤一些羊肉吃。

9 whipped   

adj. 受到鞭打的 动词whip的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• a dollop of whipped cream 一团搅打的奶油
• a non-dairy whipped topping 打好的非奶制糕点配料