Happy Heavenly Birthday Zora ! (b. January 7th 1891)
If i HAD to pick just ONE, I wouldn’t hesitate to say that Zora Neale Hurston (author, ethnographer, anthropologist, filmmaker...) is my fave Harlem Renaissance ancestor. Our shared interests and pursuits include ethnography, anthropology, writing and a deep seeded love and appreciation for Black people and our culture — past, present, future. On toppa all that she was a full on foodie! Not only a lover and appreciator of good food but is also known to have cooked and baked well and as the author of today’s featured book reveals, her work as a food sociologist helped document much of the culinary culture of her home state of Florida.
To my knowledge, this is only book publication dedicated to the culinary world of this literary icon. Special shout out to the amazing Mr. Micael Twitty for generously gifting me this special book (he knows me well!)… and to Dr. Frederick Douglass Opie for researching and writing it! …
In sync with the featured fried topic of today’s post, flipping through the pages of Zora Neale Hurston on Florida Food: Recipes, Remedies & Simple Pleasures. I found a few recipes for deep-fried ‘delicacies’ and references to such, including but not limited to dishes like: fried fish and hushpuppies, sweet potato chips, chicken fritters, fried chicken, and i dunno if ya’ll are ready for this but here goes: Floridian fried turtle ! … Of course there are even more (non-fried) regionally rooted recipes and remedies wonderfully woven throughout the entire book that I’m enjoying immensely — especially since Dr. Opie serves them up in a context full of cultural relevance, narrative and history.
Sadly, the beyond BRILLIANT Zora Neal Hurston, who paved the way for so many of us (writers, researchers, culturally-rooted media makers…) died impoverished, for a complex set of oppressive systemic (race and gender based) reasons beyond her control … I mention this as a reality check that current generations do all that we can to end this pattern for our contemporary cultural treasures.
Significant ‘side note’ re: Jan 7th: Cosmic coincidence: My first (and longest running!) friend, extended fam member, sister from another Mrs. & Mr. — Carol, daughter of Laura & Jessie Davis — shares the same Jan 7th Capricorn birthday as Zora. Some a ya’ll might recall, Carol was my amazing guest star in a special strawberries-themed episode (May 2022) of the “Savory & Sweet Food History & Culture” radio show I co-created, exec produced, talent scouted AND HOSTed once upon a time…. And anybody into astrology knows that ♑️ Capricorns & Cancers ♋️(the latter is my sign) get along wonderfully. Said all that to say, had we lived in the same plane of time and space, I’m confident Zora could’ve /would’ve/should’ve been a great friend too :)
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And for Tempura Day:
Tempura is one of the most famous deep fried foods of the world that hails from Japan. But it did not actually ‘originate’ from there…
ABOVE: sharing a few tempura ‘beauty’ shots from S. California to Brooklyn NY. Craving more on how fried foods show up as special treats and delicacies in many culinary cultures around the world? If you’re not already, become part of my Patreon community and utilize your ‘perks’ for just that!…(see also my Patreon ‘plea’ below)