The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South

In 2011, Michael Twitty set out on a journey to discover his heritage. He called this journey his “Southern Discomfort Tour” (xiv) for various reasons, including the fact that when he was a child, he “hated soul food” and “didn’t really like being black” (25). His understanding of his heritage was shaped by societal attitudes and scattered stories shared orally through family members. He did not yet understand the complexity of his heritage. Facing it is part of the discomfort of his journey.

As Twitty peels back the curtain on his family’s history, he realizes that much of that history has not been recorded. He feels as though his country has attempted to wipe out the contributions of his family, to delete their very existence. Through rigorous research, he pieces together a narrative detailing the bravery and hardship of his ancestors. He learns of the violence the women in his family must have faced and imagines what his predecessors must have felt leaving Africa, being sold at auction, and working in white kitchens and plantation fields. Along the way, he recreates the experiences of members of his family tree. He cooks in plantation kitchens and at Confederate reenactments.