IG Cooking Class: Groundnut Stew with Collard Greens

This is the result of Sundays Virtual Cooking Class with one of my followers, Latoya. We cooked my spin on Groundnut stew with collard greens. The ingredients in this dish truly exemplify the connection many African Americans have with West African cuisine.

You see, peanuts and greens have been an integral part of the diet of Black Americans in the south for generations. The Gullah are a distinctive group of Black Americans from South Carolina and Georgia in the southeastern United States. Rice is what bridges the Gullah people to Sierra Leone. Slave owners would purposely buy enslaved West Africans from the countries that grew rice to be forced to do the same in the US. The technique of stewing greens and incorporating peanuts in a dish were brought over to the United States by the enslaved West Africans who held on to their memory of traditionally cooking. In Sierra Leone, we call "greens" plassas and peanuts granat in our Krio language. I love it when I can unite my Sierra Leonean roots with my Southern experience here in NC.

During the preparation of our cooking class Latoya shared stories with me about how food was involved in her upbringing. I truly enjoy teaching people how to cook my countries cuisine. Cooking is absolutely my love language. So if I teach you how to cook our meals and/or share a recipe just know lots of love was transferred into it and take as a gift from me to you. Then you can pass on the love gift and cook it for others or just treat yourself 💛