December 26 to January 1 marks the celebration of Kwanzaa. This year, we're also blessed with the publication of a new edition of A Kwanzaa Keepsake and Cookbook: Celebrating the Holiday with Family, Community, and Tradition. The book, written by culinary historian Dr. Jessica B. Harris and originally published in 1995, aims to educate readers on the significance and traditions of the holiday.
Jessica Harris: I gotta start out by being my professorial self. It's not really a re-edition. What I'm calling it is a "refreshing." It's a little less than a complete revisiting of it all. It's got little admixtures and bits and pieces there, that would be one. And two, it was written in '95 so it's not quite 30 [years].
Evan Kleiman: I love that. That kind of longevity is wonderful, and I think it's beautiful that it is out in a renewed form for a new generation.
Thank you.
When did you celebrate your first Kwanzaa?
You know, honestly, one of the great things about having a few barnacles on my bow is I'll remember. I think it was in the 1970s. I was not one of those jumping instantly in 1966 when it was begun by Maulana Karenga. It was a little bit later, and it was through a community that I was involved with in Brooklyn.
When you were at that celebration, what about it spoke to you enough that you knew you wanted to start having it be a personal tradition?
I think what spoke to me was the involvement of the youngsters, the involvement of the children. It was a good thing I am single and don't have any kids, and I'm also an only child, and therefore don't have any nieces or nephews. So to watch just how the youngsters got it, in a way, was the light bulb for me.
Tell us about the holiday. Tell us about what happens over the course of the week. It's such a purpose-driven celebration, so tell us a bit about the meaning behind it all.
I think the real meaning is the whole holiday is guided by what are called, in Swahili, the Nguzo Saba, or the seven principles. They were developed by Karenga, who is a cultural nationalist, and who knew we needed, and who created something extraordinary for that need. The Nguzo Saba are as follows, one for each day of the celebration.
- Umoja — unity
- Kujichagulia — self determination
- Ujima — collective work and responsibility
- Ujamaa — cooperative economics
- Nia — purpose
- Kuumba — creativity
- Imani — faith
Each day is devoted to, if you will, the contemplation of those building blocks of self-awareness.
There are seven symbols that also figure prominently into the holiday. Can you take us through what they are?
Depending on how you deal with it, the first is the mkeka, which is the placemat on which everything else is arranged.
The second are the mazao, or the fruits and vegetables of the harvest, and they're part of the celebration table. As a food historian, I tend to use fruits and vegetables from Africa and its diaspora in the American hemisphere. I always have okra. Anybody who knows me knows I'm kind of an okra-vore and proselytizer for the mucilaginous parts. I have black eyed peas. I have true yams, which are what are called in the Spanish-speaking world, nyame. I also have sweet potatoes. True yams are from the Old World. Sweet potatoes are from the New World. So they kind of represent, in some way, our sea change, how we went from one to the other.
I have watermelon, which also originates on the African continent, and a variety of other things, including pineapples, sometimes because they originate on the American continent, actually in the Caribbean, and most folks don't know that.
Then there is also a seven-branched candlestick.
Absolutely. We've only gotten through two of the seven things. The kinara, or that seven-branch candlestick, holds red, black, and green candles, and one black in the center, then red and green to light, alternately.
There are the mahindi, or ears of corn, and they represent each child remaining at home. But even if there are no children in the household, there is one ear. Old corn gives birth to new corn. Corn, sort of, is grown in that way of generating itself. So in each ear of corn there is the possibility of many things. That's why corn is chosen because there is, in each child, the possibility of many things, as well.
The kikombe cha umoja, or communal chalice from which the ceremonial libation is poured. It's a communal chalice. Originally, it was passed but I think now we're pouring and that also comes out of African American tradition.
Folks who, like me, have those barnacles on their bow may remember back in the day when African American guys would get together and drink. They'd usually pour some on the ground and, in my part of the world, would say, "for the boys upstate." It's a tradition that has been long-standing. Gentlemen in the Caribbean do it with rum. People do it with bourbon. It's whatever you're drinking. Leave some for the ancestors or for the boys upstate. Then finally, the zawadi or the gifts. So those are the symbols.
We have to talk about food. Part of the celebration does take place at the table. Are there menu items that, if you're hosting, end up on the table year after year? What are some of the favorites for you?
For me, they're always a couple of things. I'm the okra child, so I'm going to have some okra, corn, and tomatoes. It's a southern succotash that I am particularly fond of because it is something that allows me to, what can I say, it allows me to not only create something using three vegetables that I very much like, but it's also forgiving. It's something that can be done and be good in the winter — okra, corn, and tomatoes. It's a very different dish at high summer, when they're all at their peak. But they're all preserved fairly well and fairly easily, so that it's a dish that can be made even with frozen okra, frozen corn, and canned tomatoes, if you need it. It is heated, if you will, or given punch with habanero chili. It kind of is one of my always there, go-tos.
I often have a chicken yassa, which is a traditional Senegalese dish. The chicken is marinated with peanut oil, lots and lots and lots of lemon juice, and sliced onions. I always say, follow the recipe and then add some more, because they're never enough. Then, it is grilled. So you get some char marks on the chicken. I've never been a fan of white chicken, so get some char marks on the grill but on the chicken, you're not cooking it that way, because you're then going to stew it, so it's taken on the flavor from the marinade. It's got a little char and crispness from the grilling. Then, it is stewed to tenderness and served over white rice.
That is the stew that I was served.
There you go. I was gonna ask that but now we know.
I couldn't get [it] out of my mind.
I'm glad you liked it.
You make suggestions in the book for projects that families can create together each evening. Would you describe maybe two of these activities and how they remind guests or the family of the seven principles?
On the fifth night of Kwanzaa, the night of nia, I suggest that we make a gift. Starting out with a goal, because remember, nia is about purpose, and accomplishing it, is a thrill for all of us. As the goals get more complex, you see how much of a thrill it is to accomplish them.
What I suggest is creating a spicy vinegar gift bottle. It's a simple process but it's something the whole family can be involved in. [It's] what a friend of mine would call cost-effective vinegar — fancy bottles, chilies, shaved carrots or cucumber or garlic (I think I've just added cucumber, they're not in the original recipe but you can put them in), put the carrots and the garlic, poke [them] down into the bottle of the vinegar with a chili and let it sit.
I love the idea of family gathering and creating something like this with all the tumult that, of course, will be involved, but then at the end, having this finished item, that has meaning. It's really lovely.
Here's something that I think certainly my family could have used, which is to create a family cookbook. Take some of the pages, or just give yourself permission to take a book, and write down recipes. African Americans, and I state this often in the book, we're people of the word. Our traditions, for the most part, have been oral.
As much as I work with history, I have very few recipes from my mother because she passed them down by talking to me. My mother was actually a trained dietitian and could have given me some really good recipes but we learned by instruction.
We learn by being in the kitchen but all too often, what that means is that when that person who is giving the instruction goes, it's left a little bit more to chance than it might otherwise be. So the idea of creating a family cookbook is something that resonated for me in terms of what can be done on the night of Kwanzaa or on the nights of Kwanzaa.
I love that idea. Thank you so much for joining us and sharing your thoughts about this celebration for us.
Thank you for having me and happy Kwanzaa.
Home-Style Collards with Spicy Vinegar
Serves 6
I am fanatic about greens and I prefer collard greens to all others. The recipe is for collards, but you can use whatever greens you like: kale, turnip, or mustard. Winter is the best time for all greens; some say they taste their best after they’re hit by the first frost. When shopping for greens, select the youngest leaves. They will be the most tender; naturally, avoid any yellow or blemished ones.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds young, leafy collard greens
- 1 small ham hock (see Note)
- 6 cups water
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Condiments
- 1 onion, minced
- Spicy Vinegar (page 130)
Instructions
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Place the greens in a sinkful of cold water and wash them thoroughly. Cut out any discolored spots and the fibrous stem and midrib on all but the smallest leaves.
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In a large heavy soup pot, add the greens, ham hock, and water and bring to a boil.
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Reduce the heat to low and cook until the greens are tender and the meat of the ham hock falls off the bone, 2 hours or longer, adding more water if necessary.
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Season with salt and pepper. Don’t discard the liquid in which they cooked. That’s the “pot likker” and is served with the greens. Some can be served in a sauce boat so diners can add extra, if de- sired. Obligatory table condiments include a small bowl of chopped onions and spicy vinegar, passed in a cruet.
Spicy Vinegar
Makes 1 pint
This easy-to-prepare hot vinegar not only adds a bit of taste to mixed greens, it is also a wonderful gift for friends who cook. You will need a decorative pint bottle, sterilized, and a cork. You can sterilize the bottle by running it through the dish- washer.
Ingredients
- 1 carrot, peeled
- 1⁄2-inch piece fresh ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled but whole
- 1 small piece habanero or other hot chile, or to taste
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 pint cider vinegar
Instructions
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Cut the carrot into thin strips and place them in a sterilized 1-pint bottle. Force the ginger, garlic, chile, and thyme sprigs into the bottle.
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Add as much of the vinegar as will fit, cork, and let stand for 1 week. The intensity of the chile will increase over time.