What do you think?
Rate this book
Bound to the Fire: How Virginia's Enslaved Cooks Helped Invent American Cuisine
In grocery store aisles and kitchens across the country, smiling images of -Aunt Jemima- and other historical and fictional black cooks can be found on various food products and in advertising. Although these images are sanitized and romanticized in American popular culture, they represent the untold stories of enslaved men and women who had a significant impact on the nation's culinary and hospitality traditions even as they were forced to prepare food for their oppressors.
Kelley Fanto Deetz draws upon archaeological evidence, cookbooks, plantation records, and folklore to present a nuanced study of the lives of enslaved plantation cooks from colonial times through emancipation and beyond. She reveals how these men and women were literally -bound to the fire- as they lived and worked in the sweltering and often fetid conditions of plantation house kitchens. These highly skilled cooks drew upon skills and ingredients brought with them from their African homelands to create complex, labor-intensive dishes such as oyster stew, gumbo, and fried fish. However, their white owners overwhelmingly received the credit for their creations.
Focusing on enslaved cooks at Virginia plantations including Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and George Washington's Mount Vernon, Deetz restores these forgotten figures to their rightful place in American and Southern history. Bound to the Fire not only uncovers their rich and complex stories and illuminates their role in plantation culture, but it celebrates their living legacy with the recipes that they created and passed down to future generations.
Kelley Fanto Deetz draws upon archaeological evidence, cookbooks, plantation records, and folklore to present a nuanced study of the lives of enslaved plantation cooks from colonial times through emancipation and beyond. She reveals how these men and women were literally -bound to the fire- as they lived and worked in the sweltering and often fetid conditions of plantation house kitchens. These highly skilled cooks drew upon skills and ingredients brought with them from their African homelands to create complex, labor-intensive dishes such as oyster stew, gumbo, and fried fish. However, their white owners overwhelmingly received the credit for their creations.
Focusing on enslaved cooks at Virginia plantations including Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and George Washington's Mount Vernon, Deetz restores these forgotten figures to their rightful place in American and Southern history. Bound to the Fire not only uncovers their rich and complex stories and illuminates their role in plantation culture, but it celebrates their living legacy with the recipes that they created and passed down to future generations.
156 pages, Hardcover
Published November 6, 2017
35 people are currently reading
835 people want to read
About the author
Kelley Fanto Deetz
3 books8 followersDr. Kelley Fanto Deetz is a Research Associate at the James River Institute for Archaeology and Visiting Assistant Professor at Randolph College. She holds a B.A. from The College of William and Mary, and a M.A. and Ph.D. from U.C. Berkeley. She specializes in early African Diaspora cultural history, archaeology, slavery, visual and material culture, and public history. She has worked as a historical consultant for television, museums, and for the film The Birth of a Nation. Deetz partnered with National Geographic to produce the documentary film Rise Up: The Legacy of Nat Turner (National Geographic Channel), and authored the cover story for the National Geographic History Magazine entitled Nat Turner’s Bones: Reclaiming an American Rebel. Her new book Bound to the Fire: How Virginia’s Enslaved Cooks Helped Invent American Cuisine was named one of the top ten books on food of 2017 by the Smithsonian Magazine.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
January 10, 2025
This book should be IN EVERY history classroom.
"How Virginia's enslaved cooks helped invent American Cuisine."
It is full of knowledge that has been omitted from US history for too long. Years and years of research went into it and you can feel the emotion that went into the writing. Our culinary and Southern heritage is owed entirely to those people enslaved (mostly Africans but also Indigenous people).
#blackcooks #blackchefs #bbqkings #soulfood #howweeat #southerncooking #blm #beingblack #magabbq #whiteinthesouth
"How Virginia's enslaved cooks helped invent American Cuisine."
It is full of knowledge that has been omitted from US history for too long. Years and years of research went into it and you can feel the emotion that went into the writing. Our culinary and Southern heritage is owed entirely to those people enslaved (mostly Africans but also Indigenous people).
#blackcooks #blackchefs #bbqkings #soulfood #howweeat #southerncooking #blm #beingblack #magabbq #whiteinthesouth
April 2, 2018
I picked this book because the words, "How Virginia's Enslaved Cooks Helped invent American Cuisine", intrigued me. This book is full of the history of the enslaved cook with much content devoted to the living and cooking quarters of the cook, their role on the plantation, their role in society, some personal biographies of former enslaved cooks, and even much about the Mistress's role on the plantation. The relationship between the Cook and Mistress is repeated ad nauseam throughout the entirety of the book. I must have read upwards of 20 times about the fact that the relationship was complex and the mistress locked up the sugar...yawn. A whole 3 pages near the end of the book actually dealt with what I had come to learn, "How Virginia's Enslaved Cooks Helped Invent American Cuisine". By that time I didn't care anymore, I just wanted the repetitive diatribe to be over so that I could mark the book as "read" and move on. Don't get me wrong, there is some good and interesting stuff in here. It would be a much better book if the often repeated portions of text were removed, making it several pages shorter, and a rename is in order too. Maybe, "An intimate look at the relationship between enslaved cook and mistress on the Virginia plantation", for example.
February 8, 2019
I found this well researched book about enslaved cooks in Virginia fascinating, yet it was obviously a sobering look at the ugly practices of slavery. The narrative of this non-fiction story takes place exclusively in Virginia, yet much of the slavery methods and the degradation the slaves endured was universal to the American South. As the women of the home were typically in charge of the house slaves, this book often centers on the unhealthy dynamic that developed between the mistress of the home and the cooks in the kitchen. The quote "Enslaved cooks and their mistresses had a unique relationship that revolved around the production of food, all tangled in the web of power, oppression, violence and negotiation" is a good summary of much of this book's message. Yet, the book is also a tribute to Virginia's enslaved cooks for it shows how these slaves were able to hold onto their culture and develop the art of fine cooking that is still held dear today, all while enduing back breaking labor.
My family recently traveled to DC and visited George Washington's Mt. Vernon in Virginia. The estate does not shy away from sharing how slavery was part of the Washington's life, and I came away from the visit subdued and sad, to have seen close up the conditions in which slaves were used for their white owner's own ease and gratification. Plus, my reading of this book is timely as the recent controversies with the governor and attorney general of Virginia show that discrimination is still rampant. As such, these types of scholarly studies are important for people to understand how the legacy of captivity continues to affect our country today.
My family recently traveled to DC and visited George Washington's Mt. Vernon in Virginia. The estate does not shy away from sharing how slavery was part of the Washington's life, and I came away from the visit subdued and sad, to have seen close up the conditions in which slaves were used for their white owner's own ease and gratification. Plus, my reading of this book is timely as the recent controversies with the governor and attorney general of Virginia show that discrimination is still rampant. As such, these types of scholarly studies are important for people to understand how the legacy of captivity continues to affect our country today.
March 2, 2019
I was hoping this book would read a bit like a tribute to the much under-appreciated enslaved plantation cooks. Instead it feels like a college student’s research paper. The writing is sooooo dry. There is no story here, nothing to engage my emotions. The subject matter is important and as such I will continue to look for other resources.
July 8, 2020
"Alongside the trend of grocery product advertising, black Americana material culture developed and gained popularity. Statues, kitchenware, and countless random items used the images of black-faced cooks to reinforce the racist and sexist memory of enslaved cooks. These material manifestations laid such a solid foundation in American memory that, until recently, even scholars had not delved into this vat of institutionalized racism and misrepresentation. These images functioned in many ways. They were specifically targeted toward white Americans' fear of integration. Black Americana led white folks to believe that the old days were still in reach and that the black body, though free, was still controlled by white power. Having the image of a black cook in one's kitchen meant the 'ease' of black servitude was carried over, without having an actual black body inside one's home."
This was really interesting and relatively short. However it's one of those non-fiction books where the after the colon doesn't quite fit with what's in the book. It's really more a history of how enslaved cooks functioned and the spaces as they still exist or what was left behind in the historical record in Virginia. I thought this might be more about specific foods or recipes, and there was some of that but not a lot. At the end it turns toward images of those enslaved cooks in popular culture (like Uncle Ben and Aunt Jemima) and I wish there had been more on that. Would still recommend though.
This was really interesting and relatively short. However it's one of those non-fiction books where the after the colon doesn't quite fit with what's in the book. It's really more a history of how enslaved cooks functioned and the spaces as they still exist or what was left behind in the historical record in Virginia. I thought this might be more about specific foods or recipes, and there was some of that but not a lot. At the end it turns toward images of those enslaved cooks in popular culture (like Uncle Ben and Aunt Jemima) and I wish there had been more on that. Would still recommend though.
June 24, 2018
3.75 stars. I borrowed this book from a friend and read it a bit faster than I would normally. I am impressed by the research that went into this book - the sources used were interdisplinary and included letters, diaries, and archeological reports. The author used images like Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben to pique interest and to challenge readers assumptions about the enslaved cook. I thought this book was best when discussing material culture and current interpretation at historic sites. Towards the end of the book the author briefly touched on themes of gender and masculinity and I would have loved to read more about that. Overall, the book was good - it was a bit short, but I guess that is more manageable. I would recommend it to a friend.
December 15, 2022
Very readable overview of foodways in Virginia from the 17th to 19th centuries. Documents, built environment, and archaeology -- in addition to secondary sources -- contribute to Deetz's picture of enslaved men and women producing meals in Virginia's large homes and plantations.
Notable themes: Experts now see distancing African-Americans from white households as a major motivator for kitchens becoming separate buildings in the 18th century. Cooks often were clandestinely taught to read so white mistress could write down recipes for them, and some were trained in France. All cooks would have been skilled at the math needed to increase and decrease recipes, and managing the timing of increasingly elaborate dishes. It sounds like documenting how much African food made it to white tables is a new focus of archeology as diaries and letters usually describe special occasion meals, not an everyday jambalaya. One chapter gives us two celebrated men who cooked for presidents -- and short summaries of many of the enslaved cooks who poisoned their enslavers. Last chapter is a meandering (much-needed) call for historic homes to do better, and this book could easily serve as the training tool for such an effort.
Notable themes: Experts now see distancing African-Americans from white households as a major motivator for kitchens becoming separate buildings in the 18th century. Cooks often were clandestinely taught to read so white mistress could write down recipes for them, and some were trained in France. All cooks would have been skilled at the math needed to increase and decrease recipes, and managing the timing of increasingly elaborate dishes. It sounds like documenting how much African food made it to white tables is a new focus of archeology as diaries and letters usually describe special occasion meals, not an everyday jambalaya. One chapter gives us two celebrated men who cooked for presidents -- and short summaries of many of the enslaved cooks who poisoned their enslavers. Last chapter is a meandering (much-needed) call for historic homes to do better, and this book could easily serve as the training tool for such an effort.
February 27, 2018
This book found a space on my shelf because I am intrigued by the history of the American cuisine and its connection to slavery. I find it fascinating that the image of the enslaved cook remains in our culture in the form of Uncle Ben rice products and Aunt Jemima syrup. Kelley Fanto Deetz does a great job in giving voice to the enslaved cooks of Virginia by way of old recipes and plantation records. The reader learns about the labor involved in being a cook and the small bit of power that cooks had on the plantation, and in slave society, because their skill of cooking was so closely connected to this idea of Southern hospitality. I especially enjoyed Deetz's exploration of the evolution of the plantation house and kitchen, highlighting the correlation between architecture and race. Overall, I found the book an educational read and recommend it to readers who enjoy solidly researched work in the field of history, cooking, and African American Studies.
April 1, 2018
A very good look at a perhaps forgotten aspect in American history: the contribution made by slaves with regard to cuisine in this country. The title may be somewhat of a misnomer, as it seems to be a larger view than just "Virginia."
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the historical aspect of cooking and cuisine, and for a study of it that has largely gone unwritten.
Credit the author with what must have been a great deal of focused and arduous research in order to find the details of this history.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the historical aspect of cooking and cuisine, and for a study of it that has largely gone unwritten.
Credit the author with what must have been a great deal of focused and arduous research in order to find the details of this history.
April 15, 2018
Well researched investigation of the role, duties and living conditions of enslaved cooks in Virginia’s great houses before the civil war. Presented in a very readable way by a young historian who will clearly be a force in her field, the book challenges many of the assumptions of the 1920’s “Happy Darkies” mythology of American slavery—even ones that have slipped into mainstream history, such as the notion that Thomas Jefferson’s dumb waiter at Monticello was merely a labor saving device for his enslaved staff.
December 2, 2021
POPSUGAR 2021: a book with fewer than 1,000 Goodreads ratings
December 13, 2021
I loved the way this book was written with having sections within the chapter. Doing it that way made the book flow easier and I can go back and find specific sections. It was great to hear about an area of slavery that is often over looked and dismissed
April 3, 2024
A scholarly book that does an admirable job of reconstructing the lives and positions of enslaved cooks in Virginia. As the author points out, it is tough to create a narrative and analysis from the slim historical record, but she is able to do it, weaving together the known histories of celebrity chefs, archaeological findings, and the few written accounts.
June 9, 2018
Deetz investigates Virginia slavery from the vantage point of the cooks on the plantations. This to me is a new approach to seeing plantation life and the enslaved cooks who basically made possible the elegant social events which made Virginia famous.
Using archaeological evidence, plantation records, cookbooks and recipes, she describes the lives of the cooks who were also slaves.
First, they were just as much enslaved as any field hand. Although they sometimes had better living conditions, often living with their immediate families above or near the plantation kitchens, their work was just as exhausting and they were somewhat separated from other slaves on the plantation.
Second, they worked in hot, fetid conditions from early morning when they made bread and prepared breakfast for the household and the late afternoon meal which often involved many courses and which was served formally and elegantly by other slaves.
Deetz describes some of the foods prepared, and also includes some recipes. Large plantation holders frequently required their cooks to develop skill in the art of French cookery which was popular in the day. The enslaved cooks also often added foods that were familiar to them from their origins in West Africa, such as okra, pepper pot and gumbo, introducing African foodways into the American cuisine.
Good cooks were always sought by those with means to enhance their reputation for fine dining. Cooks who were experienced often brought high prices.
Whatever their slight advantages, working in the household rather than the fields, they were still slaves and treated as less than human. Small errors could bring on the wrath of the Mistress and result in severe beatings. Over the long term, the injustice was maintained, as their culinary expertise was often claimed by the Mistress of the plantation and they received no acknowledgement of their vast skills.
I found the book to be interesting and gleaned a lot of new information from it. I will say though that it was not always easy to read, as there was quite a bit of repetition as the author quoted different sources for similar information and her writing style was sometimes stilted by unnecessarily long sentences and vocabulary sometimes designed to impress rather than impart clarity.
I recommend it to anyone interested in slavery as it sheds a new and interesting on an often neglected facet of it.
Using archaeological evidence, plantation records, cookbooks and recipes, she describes the lives of the cooks who were also slaves.
First, they were just as much enslaved as any field hand. Although they sometimes had better living conditions, often living with their immediate families above or near the plantation kitchens, their work was just as exhausting and they were somewhat separated from other slaves on the plantation.
Second, they worked in hot, fetid conditions from early morning when they made bread and prepared breakfast for the household and the late afternoon meal which often involved many courses and which was served formally and elegantly by other slaves.
Deetz describes some of the foods prepared, and also includes some recipes. Large plantation holders frequently required their cooks to develop skill in the art of French cookery which was popular in the day. The enslaved cooks also often added foods that were familiar to them from their origins in West Africa, such as okra, pepper pot and gumbo, introducing African foodways into the American cuisine.
Good cooks were always sought by those with means to enhance their reputation for fine dining. Cooks who were experienced often brought high prices.
Whatever their slight advantages, working in the household rather than the fields, they were still slaves and treated as less than human. Small errors could bring on the wrath of the Mistress and result in severe beatings. Over the long term, the injustice was maintained, as their culinary expertise was often claimed by the Mistress of the plantation and they received no acknowledgement of their vast skills.
I found the book to be interesting and gleaned a lot of new information from it. I will say though that it was not always easy to read, as there was quite a bit of repetition as the author quoted different sources for similar information and her writing style was sometimes stilted by unnecessarily long sentences and vocabulary sometimes designed to impress rather than impart clarity.
I recommend it to anyone interested in slavery as it sheds a new and interesting on an often neglected facet of it.
February 11, 2019
Short read; wish it had gone into a little more detail. It did list a number of planations in the VA tidewater area that I'd like to look into - see if they're still around to visit.
January 29, 2018
An excellent examination of the spaces, public and private, inhabited by enslaved people in the South. Also, an excellent look at the personalities that so often get lost in history, and the legacy of food left by these individuals that persists up to the present day.
June 15, 2018
A disappointing read— perhaps because it’s old news to me. Maybe, for a reader with little or no knowledge of slavery’s history in America (and especially Virginia) would find more to applaud. It is a very repetitive account that could have been accomplished in less than half the pages.
July 3, 2018
Unfortunately, this selection was filled with repetition and unnecessary interpretation of, well, just about every assertion. There were a few fascinating bits of research, but then they were repeated throughout this small book.
August 24, 2018
It does an excellent job of examining the dynamics of race and class in Virginia through the lens of domestic servitude but there is very little on the specific Foodways that resulted from enslaved cooks’ influence. Disappointed.
April 30, 2018
An interesting look at a facet of the slave experience. Unfortunately, as with a lot of scholarship in this area, the available information is limited by necessity.
May 9, 2018
Small, but powerful.
January 31, 2025
⚠️ Content Warning: This book discusses slavery, oppression, sexism, caste systems, and prejudice. ⚠️
This book has been sitting on my TBR shelf since June 2022, after I saw TikToker Danita Platt recommend it. I finally picked it up as part of my reading challenge, and wow—Bound to the Fire is a book I won’t forget.
Kelley Fanto Deetz does an incredible job dismantling the romanticized myth of the “loyal, happy house slave,” particularly the enslaved cooks who worked in the sweltering plantation kitchens of 18th and 19th century Virginia. She combines archaeology, plantation records, folklore, and material culture studies to paint a fuller picture of their lives—not just as laborers, but as culture keepers, healers, and even quiet resistors. The book challenges the ways we’ve been taught to view Southern food and hospitality, forcing us to confront the reality that these celebrated traditions were built on the backs of enslaved people.
One of the most fascinating aspects of this book was how enslaved cooks maintained and adapted African foodways despite their oppressive conditions. The kitchen, though a place of subjugation, was also a space of cultural survival. Cooking wasn’t just about sustenance—it was about memory, identity, and connection to community.
Deetz also highlights how plantation homes were physically designed to conceal enslaved labor—covered walkways, hidden corridors, and dumbwaiters were all ways to maintain an illusion of refined Southern hospitality while literally erasing the presence of Black workers. Even today, we see echoes of this erasure in the way historical sites downplay the realities of enslaved labor.
There’s a lot of painful history in this book, but there’s also deep resilience. The stories of Chef Hercules, who used his status to move freely and ultimately escape, and James Hemmings, who studied under French chefs and negotiated his own freedom, were particularly compelling. Enslaved cooks weren’t just making meals—they were navigating complex power structures, organizing labor networks, and finding ways to survive within an inhumane system.
As a therapist, I understand how trauma doesn’t just stay in the past—it ripples through generations, shaping families, communities, and entire cultures. Bound to the Fire affirms that the psychological weight of chattel slavery is still deeply felt today. Enslaved cooks weren’t just physically exhausted—they carried immense emotional and social burdens, caught between being highly valued for their skill yet completely dehumanized within the racial caste system. This book makes the invisible, visible.
Food is essential to culture, and when we honor the cooks, we honor the full history—not just of cuisine, but of the people who shaped it. Enslaved cooks weren’t just making meals; they were preserving traditions, innovating under oppression, and leaving a lasting impact on American foodways. Recognizing their labor, ingenuity, and resilience gives them the authorship they were long denied in the narrative of American cuisine.
If you’re interested in American history, Black - African American studies, food culture, or the ways systemic oppression still echoes today, this is a must-read. It’s a powerful call to ensure that enslaved cooks aren’t just a footnote in history but are given full authorship of their contributions.
This book has been sitting on my TBR shelf since June 2022, after I saw TikToker Danita Platt recommend it. I finally picked it up as part of my reading challenge, and wow—Bound to the Fire is a book I won’t forget.
Kelley Fanto Deetz does an incredible job dismantling the romanticized myth of the “loyal, happy house slave,” particularly the enslaved cooks who worked in the sweltering plantation kitchens of 18th and 19th century Virginia. She combines archaeology, plantation records, folklore, and material culture studies to paint a fuller picture of their lives—not just as laborers, but as culture keepers, healers, and even quiet resistors. The book challenges the ways we’ve been taught to view Southern food and hospitality, forcing us to confront the reality that these celebrated traditions were built on the backs of enslaved people.
One of the most fascinating aspects of this book was how enslaved cooks maintained and adapted African foodways despite their oppressive conditions. The kitchen, though a place of subjugation, was also a space of cultural survival. Cooking wasn’t just about sustenance—it was about memory, identity, and connection to community.
Deetz also highlights how plantation homes were physically designed to conceal enslaved labor—covered walkways, hidden corridors, and dumbwaiters were all ways to maintain an illusion of refined Southern hospitality while literally erasing the presence of Black workers. Even today, we see echoes of this erasure in the way historical sites downplay the realities of enslaved labor.
There’s a lot of painful history in this book, but there’s also deep resilience. The stories of Chef Hercules, who used his status to move freely and ultimately escape, and James Hemmings, who studied under French chefs and negotiated his own freedom, were particularly compelling. Enslaved cooks weren’t just making meals—they were navigating complex power structures, organizing labor networks, and finding ways to survive within an inhumane system.
As a therapist, I understand how trauma doesn’t just stay in the past—it ripples through generations, shaping families, communities, and entire cultures. Bound to the Fire affirms that the psychological weight of chattel slavery is still deeply felt today. Enslaved cooks weren’t just physically exhausted—they carried immense emotional and social burdens, caught between being highly valued for their skill yet completely dehumanized within the racial caste system. This book makes the invisible, visible.
Food is essential to culture, and when we honor the cooks, we honor the full history—not just of cuisine, but of the people who shaped it. Enslaved cooks weren’t just making meals; they were preserving traditions, innovating under oppression, and leaving a lasting impact on American foodways. Recognizing their labor, ingenuity, and resilience gives them the authorship they were long denied in the narrative of American cuisine.
If you’re interested in American history, Black - African American studies, food culture, or the ways systemic oppression still echoes today, this is a must-read. It’s a powerful call to ensure that enslaved cooks aren’t just a footnote in history but are given full authorship of their contributions.
March 1, 2023
I really dislike giving bad reviews. I know the author writes that this was a work of love that took 9 years but honestly, the first 100 pages feel like assignments from history classes slapped together without an editor. There is A LOT of repetition and a lot of bad formatting. In one section there were several paragraphs worth of names and dates enslaved people were put to death after (supposedly) poisoning their enslavers. Just name after name with a "the following month so-and-so died on June 10, 1840. Then so-and-so died on July 19 1843." New paragraph: "Then so-and-so died and so-and-so died on ..." Make a list with the dates they were put to death. Having random paragraphs listing random groupings of condemned cooks was just odd. Maybe the author wanted to honor each by listing their names, but just include a list or something sensical. The first 100 pages very clearly got the point across that there was a patriarchy hierarchy putting the mistresses of the houses in charge of the cooks and their social status dependent on their cook's skill. It also got the point across that towards the end of slavery enslaved people were more hidden from visitors who may have found the practice abhorrent (yet still called on slavers socially so???) There - 100 pages summed up.
The only reason I finished the book was because it was so short and I'm glad I did. The last 1/3 was much better than the first 2/3. Some in-depth descriptions of specific enslaved cooks' lives and roles in the world around them, some information about how research was done to look into these lives no one cared to document at the time. Again though, the editing was lacking. There were references to newspaper articles and their pictures that were not included and insufficiently described. Why briefly reference a photograph and then not include it? The excavation of Emmanuel Jones' kitchen would have been a great set of photos to include. That whole section left me wanting to read more but it just ended.
Another entire field of interest wholly ignored was the "relationship" of white male enslavers and their enslaved female cooks. There was a single mention of Sally Hemmings (ironically just saying tour guides mention her briefly) yet a whole chapter on Washington's cook Hercules. The proximity of the kitchen and the enslaved female cooks seems worth a mention. Anyone who has studied history (pre-Youngkin and Desantis, etc) knows the sad story of young Sally Hemmings. Was that common? Uncommon? The only relationships the author discusses were with the female plantation owners. It seems bizarre to leave that line of research out.
All in all I would not recommend this book. It was less about American cuisine with African influence and more white mistresses locked up the sugar (repeated ad nauseum)
The only reason I finished the book was because it was so short and I'm glad I did. The last 1/3 was much better than the first 2/3. Some in-depth descriptions of specific enslaved cooks' lives and roles in the world around them, some information about how research was done to look into these lives no one cared to document at the time. Again though, the editing was lacking. There were references to newspaper articles and their pictures that were not included and insufficiently described. Why briefly reference a photograph and then not include it? The excavation of Emmanuel Jones' kitchen would have been a great set of photos to include. That whole section left me wanting to read more but it just ended.
Another entire field of interest wholly ignored was the "relationship" of white male enslavers and their enslaved female cooks. There was a single mention of Sally Hemmings (ironically just saying tour guides mention her briefly) yet a whole chapter on Washington's cook Hercules. The proximity of the kitchen and the enslaved female cooks seems worth a mention. Anyone who has studied history (pre-Youngkin and Desantis, etc) knows the sad story of young Sally Hemmings. Was that common? Uncommon? The only relationships the author discusses were with the female plantation owners. It seems bizarre to leave that line of research out.
All in all I would not recommend this book. It was less about American cuisine with African influence and more white mistresses locked up the sugar (repeated ad nauseum)
January 3, 2021
I really really wanted to like this book. I was so interested in hearing more about slaves in the kitchen and how they formed our food and dining traditions today. Unfortunately the author just didn't do it for me. I felt that there was no depth to the analysis of the impact that African slaves had on America's culinary traditions. The author pointed out that archeological evidence shows that foods we eat today were highly influenced by slaves and I would have liked to know what that evidence was and how do we know the influence came from West Africa. I would have just liked to see more analysis and more evidence rather then the sweeping statements about cooks influences. I would also have been interested in hearing more details about the lives these slaves led. While I realize that there are not a lot of records that exist that can give us details, the author does say that there are three types of sources that allow us to infer what a slaves life was like. Again I'd like to see more of that analysis done. As to the author's view that slave quarters and slaves lives aren't addressed when one visits a plantation house, I would have liked for the author to present a solution. I imagine many docents are volunteers. If I'm a volunteer and I read a book like this to help me round out my stories, I'm sadly disappointed b/c I don't see a lot of information that I can incorporate. So while I don't necessarily think the premise is wrong I would like to see more detail and analysis so that I can fully understand the scope of the lives of these enslaved cooks.
June 10, 2019
An interesting and important study that needs to be explored but ultimately disappointing in its simplicity and analysis. This felt like a Masters thesis put to publication too soon. Further explorations of enslaved peoples’ experiences through many different resources, like historical archeology, are incredibly important, but limited in number. Deetz has not had enough experience with other resources to adequately analyze and come to any new conclusions. She makes broad, overgeneralizations of data. Her understanding of previous foodways scholarship is limited, and that doesn’t allow her to compare and contract enslaved peoples’ foodways in any kind of comprehensive way. She gets the last name of a food history scholar wrong in the text (McCain is actually McCann) and it is also wrong in the endnotes and bibliography. The book started out promising, but then it quickly became undistinguished as she wrote things like “the enslaved cook singlehandedly transformed American food.” There were a lot of other enslaved people and free blacks who had a hand in transforming American food. She said that household mistresses wrote down predominantly recipes for desserts because they oversaw dessert-making. There are many other more plausible reasons than this that were not even mentioned. Deetz was repetitious at times, trying to make the same point over and over again. In chapter four, “Black Food on White Plates” I thought Deetz would discuss the foodways Africans brought to American. There was only a short section at the end that touched on this topic. Why would she suggest that Uncle Ben’s rice should be served with “trace amounts of poison”? She had discussed in an earlier chapter about poisonings and the fear of it by plantation owners, but it was inappropriate when brought up later, in a different context. There were too many oversimplifications, repetitions and narrow conclusions.
This is an important type of study that will hopefully lead to more, and hopefully more thoroughly researched studies that help illuminate an incredibly important and undeveloped area of American history.
This is an important type of study that will hopefully lead to more, and hopefully more thoroughly researched studies that help illuminate an incredibly important and undeveloped area of American history.
September 15, 2020
Book Riot Read Harder 2020: A book about a cuisine you've never tried before. This is also a category I'm fudging a little...but I'm a very adventurous eater and couldn't think of anything else! =/
This is a historical book about enslaved cooks, mainly in Virginia, and how they are responsible for shaping what we know as "American" foods. I was hoping for more on the culinary end, but a lot was about enslaved kitchen and living conditions, and the volatile and complicated relationships between enslaved cooks and "mistresses" of the house. Important information, but just not what I was expecting. Also included are stories of the cooks of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson (spoiler: not happy stories), and discussion about "Black Americana" pieces and how they perpetuate racism even today. The latter is interesting to read about, seeing how this was published in 2017, several years before the whole "Aunt Jemima removal and (unneeded, imo) backlash in 2020.
This is a historical book about enslaved cooks, mainly in Virginia, and how they are responsible for shaping what we know as "American" foods. I was hoping for more on the culinary end, but a lot was about enslaved kitchen and living conditions, and the volatile and complicated relationships between enslaved cooks and "mistresses" of the house. Important information, but just not what I was expecting. Also included are stories of the cooks of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson (spoiler: not happy stories), and discussion about "Black Americana" pieces and how they perpetuate racism even today. The latter is interesting to read about, seeing how this was published in 2017, several years before the whole "Aunt Jemima removal and (unneeded, imo) backlash in 2020.
October 14, 2020
The topic of the book was interesting and the historical role of the kitchen slave isn't something I have seen written about much, but I felt like the author only skimmed the surface of many of the ideas presented. She had a handful of some good examples and a few slave stories, but other areas were thin in connecting research and could have benefitted with more detail. Maybe limiting it to Virginia was too narrow. I understand the establishment of Jamestown and arrival of first slaves in 1619 as a good launching point, but it would have also been interesting to see how the role of the kitchen slave developed or varied throughout the south. She may have had more material to work with then as well. I found the most interesting parts to be the story of George Washington's runaway chef, the lengths Thomas Jefferson went to at meals to conceal his house slave help, and how the kitchen slowly shifted away from the house has the new American high society developed.
October 27, 2018
I had the privilege of meeting author Dr. Kelly Fanto Deetz, and attended her lecture which was part of UVA’s bicentennial celebrations. In fact, she signed my book for me. In recent years, UVA has hosted numerous authors who wrote about slavery and slave lives, and I am happy to report that this is the 3rd lecture and book signing I’ve been to. The picture of true history just keeps getting clearer and clearer with the lens of these books that I’ve read. This book holds invaluable insight into the daily life of enslaved cooks. It sheds light and greater understanding unto the other books I’ve read on the topic. A must-read for any Virginian, such as I, who believes all Virginians should have an above-average command of historical knowledge.
May 24, 2023
one could assume this book resulted in Quaker rebranding their Aunt Jemima products. The book published in 2017, and Quaker rebranded their products in 2021. kudos to Ms. Deetz.
the author seems to have done extensive research. but the written record appears to be thin. this results in repetitive text, skillfully restated to not appear repetitive.
the book states the enslaved cooks established American cuisene. Oyster and fish stews from the Virginia tidewater are NOT representative of American cuisene. There are limited recipes in the book, but are not enough to make the case for the foundation of American cuisene.
A good read, but not needing an intense study.
the author seems to have done extensive research. but the written record appears to be thin. this results in repetitive text, skillfully restated to not appear repetitive.
the book states the enslaved cooks established American cuisene. Oyster and fish stews from the Virginia tidewater are NOT representative of American cuisene. There are limited recipes in the book, but are not enough to make the case for the foundation of American cuisene.
A good read, but not needing an intense study.
March 3, 2024
It feels almost unfair to judge an academic book on a star scale. But, it does seem somewhat aimed at the public, with its closing discussion of how to approach plantation tours, and the bookending discussion of Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben.
I wish there’d been more discussion of cuisine—as the book’s subtitle promises. There’s really very little. I also wish the author had perhaps done some of her own research, but instead this reads much like an extended literature review. But, it’s a very good literature review.
I wish there’d been more discussion of cuisine—as the book’s subtitle promises. There’s really very little. I also wish the author had perhaps done some of her own research, but instead this reads much like an extended literature review. But, it’s a very good literature review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews