Soul Food Defined

How do you define soul food? Is it different from Southern cuisine? Jacksonville writer Sharnese Thompson explores these topics and more in her quest to answer the question What is Soul Food? She traces this culinary tradition and its ingredients from Africa to the South; while the moniker soul food was introduced in the 1960's, the history of this cuisine began long before that. Soul food is a connection from one generation to the next, and represents a history of survival and pride. An amalgamation of African, Native American, British, Spanish and other culinary influences, soul food has truly become an American cuisine that extends beyond the South. Special thanks to Chef Celestia Mobley and the team at Jazzy's in Riverside for the generous contribution of location, food and beverages (pictured below) for this story.