Writing these monthly food articles over the years has given me the opportunity to meet interesting and talented people who generously share their love and knowledge of food. While the research involved reveals new information on food ways and traditions, with this month’s article, I had the added benefit of sampling food related to its subject matter.

African American cuisine, commonly referred to as Soul Food, has entrenched itself into the culinary traditions of the American south. The Transatlantic Slave Trade, which dated from the 1600s to the 1900s brought enslaved people from Africa to the Americas. With the meager food rations aboard the slave boats, traditional recipes and cooking techniques were preserved and adapted. Seeds from plants native to Africa were brought over on these voyages and originally planted by slaves for their own food, in time becoming the food found on the tables of plantation owners. Today we enjoy such staples as yams, okra, watermelon, African rice, black-eyed peas and peppers, along with their unique preparation in the forms of gumbo and jambalaya. The African word for okra is “ki ngombo”, and jollof rice, a rice dish from West Africa, has many similar ingredients found in our local jambalaya.

The rich history of soul food, born out of struggle and survival, has evolved into one of the most sought-after cuisines of the South. I had the privilege of recently visiting two local restaurants whose owners proudly serve the dishes of their ancestors, to the delight of many in our community, and those visiting from around the world.

At Anointed Soul Food, a restaurant in New Iberia owned and operated by Sylvia Pradia and her husband, Chad, I learned of how Sylvia’s passion for cooking developed. Born and raised in Loreauville, Sylvia’s mother cooked at Beverly’s Seafood, a restaurant that was located across from what is now Iberia Medical Center North. When the restaurant needed more assistance in the kitchen, Sylvia’s mom enlisted her help, and at the age of 17, she began learning all the necessary skills needed to become a seasoned chef. Sylvia’s dad raised his own meat — cows, pigs, and chickens — but he was also a butcher at a local meat market. When he came home, he brought with him the least desired parts of the animals. Pigs’ feet, pig ears and calf tongues, now considered a delicacy by some, were transformed by her mom into delicious meals. One dish that Sylvia learned from her mom, and a favorite prepared at the restaurant today, is for smothered crab. I can attest to the deliciousness of this rich, flavorful gravy atop rice and adorned with crab bodies and claws. Those years of absorbing the teachings of her mom have resulted in the mouth-watering dishes served at Anointed Soul Food.

Brenda Placide, of Brenda’s Diner, is another proud New Iberia restaurant owner for the past 32 years. Her cooking skills were first honed at her mother’s side as she and her brother learned the basics of preparing traditional African American cuisine. Life lessons were also imparted by their mother during these sessions. The value of taking pride in oneself, always aiming to do your best, and putting love into your cooking have not been forgotten after all these years. Brenda’s experience grew with cooking jobs in nursing homes, at Morton Salt Company and Martin Mills. Her restaurant walls are filled with pictures of her family, and the famous, and not-so-famous who have dined there. She delights in telling how actor Tommy Lee Jones discovered her cooking during the filming of “In the Electric Mist” in New Iberia in 2009. Once he had tasted her food, he brought his director and crew to the restaurant every day to dine. Before leaving, he asked her to go back with him and be his personal chef. New Iberia is fortunate that she declined his offer. Another favorite story Brenda likes to tell is that of a German television crew wanting to enter the World Championship Gumbo Cookoff. They came to her for instructions in the heat of the summer, and despite the sweat rolling off their brow, upon entering the contest, they were able to place. Having been featured in many magazines and books, Brenda is still motivated by the words of her mother upon opening the restaurant. Her mother advised, “Brenda, if you’re going into it for the money, you’ll have a short haul, but if you go into it for the love of food, you’ll have a long haul.” No doubt, a visit to either of these two restaurants, and others like them in our community, will convince diners of the ample amount of heart that is incorporated into the soul food they serve.

The following recipe is one shared by April Mullen which she received from her mother, Loraine Weinmann. Repeated from a past food article, it will bring rave reviews when served for holidays or family meals. It was brought to this country from Africa bearing the name “nyami”, but we know it today as yams.

APRIL’S SWEET POTATO DUMPLINGS

1 pkg. frozen sweet potato rounds

2 pkgs. Crescent rolls/private/var/folders/zw/f56mnk05139486gdkny1y_3m0001gb/T/Cleanup At Startup/InDesign Snippets/Snippet_31800EC17.idms

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

2 sticks margarine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut un-thawed sweet potato rounds in half. Wrap each half in a crescent roll. Place in casserole dish, seam side down.

Boil sugar, water, and margarine for 5 minutes. Pour over crescent rolls.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.

Sprinkle cinnamon over mixture before serving.

CATHERINE WATTIGNY embraces the “jour de vivre” as a wife, mother and grandmother, inspired by her prior nursing experience with a new focus on good mental health for all.