Believe it or not, “greens” (edible leaves of plants such as cabbage, kale, collards, mustard & turnip greens) offer a tale just about as old as time itself. In his book “Soul Food: the Surprising Story of an American Cuisine One Plate at a Time”, Soul Food scholar Adrian Miller shares that “We do know that the Romans, as early as 2,000 years ago, were making greens pretty soulfully, boiling them with a piece of pork.
" Then she stirred up the warm ashes in the hearth, and
roused yesterday’s fire, and fed it with leaves and dry bark,
and leads [it] forth to flames with old woman's breath
and brought down splintered torches and dry twigs from the roof
and reduced [them] and moves [them under] a small pot
and what her own spouse had collected from a well-watered garden,
she strips turnips from its foliage; he lifts down with a
two-pronged fork dirty backs of sow hanging from a black rafter,
and cuts back a meager piece from the stored back
and boils-soft the cut [piece] in boiling water."
Ovid, Metamorphasis (8. C.E.), Baucus and Philemon
We see here the humble and humbling story of Baicus and his wife Philemon -peasants living on the slopes of the Phrygian hills once visited by strangers and plagued with the disposition of being hospitable while being..well...broke. She prepared her (turnip) greens, stripping them from their foliage, while he lifts down with a two-pronged fork a rusty side of bacon hanging from the blackened beams, and cuts back a meager piece from the fastest side to boil-soft in their homely cauldron. Little did they know, their impromptu guests were the Roman deities Jupiter (Greek Zeus) and his son Mercury (Greek Hermes) in disguise. Semi-long story short, the couple was rewarded because of their hospitality. They and their cottage were spared during a flood which annihilated their entire village.
....you'll only get it if ya get it. 😂
With that, we see that cooked greens with pork would truly be European in it origin -from Greek to British-, but the greens were regarded as a food of famine. This is likely because they were more commonly available during winter and times of scarcity. In West African tradition, however, boiled greens cooked with meat (often salted or dried fish, smoked goat or a “bush meat” of sorts), are considered a substantial meal. In fact, this practice more common in African countries than anywhere else. Primarily because the selection of leafy green vegetables is unparalleled there. Consider Ethiopia’s gomen wat and Ghana’s kontomire stew, which are comparable to the collard greens dish we’re familiar with. As one of the most recognizable aspects of soul food cuisine, it is very evident that the culinary technique of boiling greens has an undeniable correlation with traditional African culinary methods.
This familiarity with the foodway and how to cook (prepare and season) it contributed to the -at this time- quasi African-American’s transition to domestic work and a newly developed social status in the colonies. “The collard greens were just one of a few select vegetables that African-Americans were allowed to grow and harvest for themselves and their families throughout times of enslavement [this, because they supplemented rations], and so over the years cooked greens developed into a traditional food”, as explained by the Latibah Collard Green Museum in Charlotte, NC. Truthfully, though, this wasn’t necessarily a short end of the stick kinda deal. Slaves weren’t offered a host of very nutritious foods to work with. Greens -and their potlicka (which we’ll discuss later)-, rich in vitamins and minerals that help prevent and fight disease, worked to provide necessary nutrients.
So the next time you hear somebody drop that “Oh, you eat greens?!” or “that’s ‘Black’ folks food”, kindly remind them that both Blacks and Romans teach us that “greens” have, if nothing, two major contributing qualities:
They save lives, and have always been food for the gods.
Instructions
Prep
1. Carefully rinse and inspect your greens for any "unsightlies" (Wilted leaves, visible dirt, etc.); fill a sink with lukewarm water, submerge the greens in water to loosen any grit; thoroughly wash, making scrubbing motions with your hands.
2. Strip leaves from their stems, and shred.
3. Chop onions (and other veggies if making vegetarian collards)
4. Gather one large pot and remaining ingredient
Work
5. Add olive oil to pot; once heated, add chopped onions and saute until nearly softened. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Cover with water and add turkey pieces.
6. Allow turkey pieces to simmer for up to 15 minutes. We do not want them to cook too long. Over time the meat grows tender enough to fall off of the bone, but it's pretty tough (chewy). Alls we want is the flavor.
7. Add about 4-5 cups of water, then your shredded greens. Move things around to ensure that you don't have too much water, nor too little. Don't nobody want to watery a** greens...neither do we care for tough ones.
8. Add remaining ingredient and allow to simmer until tender.
For Vegetarian Collards
Don't be mad at me. This'll take a little work, but what good things don't?! Due to the lack of meat here, we gotta put in a bit more elbow grease and just a bit more time.
Prep
1. Same as above, accept chop your celery and carrots in medium sized portions (about one inch) and grab a large bowl for your strained stock.
Work
2. Add olive oil and butter to pot; once heated, add celery, carrots, thyme, bay leaves and a handful of onions and cook until nearly softened. Add (2) bouillon cubes to taste.
3. Pour 5-6 cups water; bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium let simmer for 30-45 minutes.
4. Strain the liquid of all the good stuff, and set it aside.
5. Clean your large pot, and proceed with the above steps. As opposed to water, use your homemade stock.
6. When greens are nearly tender, saute mushrooms in butter and add to the pot for a little texture.
Thassit, ya'll. That's all I've got for today. I hope you enjoy!
Until next time, I challenge you to live good, to do good and to eat good. But above all else, from deep in my soul, I wish you happy feelin's. See ya in the kitchen!
-Julian B.
Comentarios