What Do Black Families Cook For Thanksgiving?

1. Baked Mac-n-Cheese I can only speak for myself when I say that baked macaroni and cheese drenched in butter and melted cheese, baked to golden perfection with a little bit of crisp on the edges, is the greatest Thanksgiving dish ever gifted to black families.

What is special is the approach to the foods of African American Thanksgiving meals and the ideas and history behind them. The collective West and Central African cultural past and slavery are key ingredients that spice and flavor the African American table like no other.

Though our traditions are similar, black Thanksgiving menus may look a little different from your white friends’ courses. Instead of roasted potatoes or simpler delights, our households believe in putting meat in everything.

And if you invite a non-black guest to a black Thanksgiving, you’re responsible for giving them a little heads up to save the chit-chat for after the plates are bare.

Why is mac and cheese considered comfort food?

Because when you eat it, it speaks to the soul. It’s the ultimate comfort food. These are the culinary masterpieces that were discarded by slave owners and repurposed by African-American slaves to make memories that, decades later, would become coveted recipes — still being shared in a lineage. 1. Baked Mac-n-Cheese.

Whether your specialty is to add seafood, or make it a little crispy (or moist), dressing (or stuffing) in many black households is eaten as a side dish, not stuffing the turkey with it, which is uncommon in several non-black cultures.