In “Braided Heritage,” author Dr. Jessica Harris opens by asking, “What is America?” Back in 2022, Harris teased us with her latest project at the Islanders Write festival, and while work on the book was delayed due to the pandemic, Harris notes that its release this June could not have come at a more suitable time, when our history and history makers are being erased.
Harris is a scholar with a deep love of culinary anthropology who “always look[s] at cuisines as the confluences of place, people, and history. And that history is more often than not on the plate,” she writes.
In “Braided Heritage,” she continues to share her passion for food, culture, and identity, turning her attention to the origins of American cuisine. That braid refers to the indigenous, European, and African influences that make up the food we eat, and Harris elegantly weaves history with personal stories and recipes to guide readers in attempting to answer that opening question.
Take the gorgeous cover, not only a richly colored still life, but specifically chosen to represent each strand — Native American with the cornmeal that coats the okra of the African continent, served with European baked ham. A thoroughly American meal.
Harris grew up in multicultural Queens, N.Y., and splits her time between Brooklyn, New Orleans, and Martha’s Vineyard. She is a global traveler, always fascinated by what’s on the menu. “On my first night in Beijing in 2019,” she told me, “I ate okra, marveling at how this vegetable made its way from Africa to China.” This important crop also appears in several recipes in the book — fried, frittered, simmered, added to soup and succotash — indeed, a Native American creation. Food is never just food, and once you start unraveling the braids, it is clear how “we are all affected by the food and traditions of others,” she writes.
Here on Martha’s Vineyard, it’s easy to spot that braided heritage in market bushels and menus, even in our way of life, with the pleasures of clamming and foraging. We have indigenous ancestors to thank for clambakes and the “three sisters” method of gardening (where corn, beans, and squash are planted together to help each other grow) that many of us follow. We taste the Southern American influence at Biscuits. Red beans and rice at the Pawnee House and summer succotash at the Homeport. Strawberry shortcake at potlucks Island-wide.
Each strand of the braid is brought to life through interviews with personal connections and lifelong friends, giving the book a very intimate feel. Is “Braided Heritage” a work of culinary history or a cookbook? “This is a cookbook,” Harris confirms, so let’s dive into the recipes.
I was delighted to see Orange Peel Bakery’s Juli Vanderhoop featured with some unique dishes. I made her Clear Broth Clam Chowder after an afternoon clamming in Lagoon Pond. Without milk or cream, the brininess of the clams takes center stage, seasoned with salt pork (which European colonizers brought with them to the Americas). I’ve also made Vanderhoop’s Mustard-Aioli Roasted Bluefish, where a coating of lemony Dijon mayonnaise balances the strong flavors of the fish, with a pleasing kick of cayenne pepper. It has become my go-to recipe for those weary of bluefish; they are converted at first bite.
Another delicious discovery is a butter-vinaigrette-dressed coleslaw hailing from Dutch settlements in upstate New York. Harris said, “We don’t tend to think of coleslaw as Dutch.” Instead, butter and vinegar combine to season green and red cabbage in an intriguing update to a New England staple.
With such a variety of dishes, I was curious how they were chosen. “I did not request any specific recipes,” Harris said. “I asked the participants to share a few that had personal meaning to them. For example, Juli’s Beer-Battered Maple Leaves is a dish she made at a Possible Dreams auction-winning dinner that we collaborated on.” Others come from Harris’ repertoire that nod to the American strand, like “Mom’s Fried Chicken,” and “Dad’s Hard-Fried Pork Chops.” As she writes in the introduction to “Old-Fashioned Iceberg Salad,” the salad of her childhood, which looks so crisp and refreshing on the page, “Even the most ordinary dish reveals great intermingling of histories.”
This is a cookbook that will take pride of place on your bookshelf, and spark conversations about the roots of what we eat, and who we are as a diverse nation. Cookbooks can be many things beyond dinner ideas and armchair travel. Harris and I will discuss these themes, our motivations, and inspirations, at our “What Is a Cookbook?” panel, with literary agent Adriana Stimola and moderated by fellow cookbook author Catherine Walthers, as part of Islanders Write on Monday, August 18. For the full schedule, visit islanderswrite.com.