During the Transatlantic slave trade, Africans brought crops such as rice, okra, black-eyed peas, limey beans, and kidneys to the New World. These crops were eaten by Africans on slave ships and eventually made their way into American foodways. Other African crops that became part of American cuisine include watermelon, yams, and sesame.
Black-eyed peas, introduced in the 1600s, became popular in the southern United States, while okra found exceptional popularity in New Orleans. Collard greens, dandelion greens, poke greens, turnip greens, and black-eyed peas were all brought from Africa and became part of American cuisine. African cooking techniques, such as deep fat frying, were also introduced.
Through these contributions, both blacks and whites have shaped the culinary taste of America, creating a diverse cuisine. African languages on the other hand included Bambara, Wolof, and Mande. During the 1700s, Mande and Wolof were the two most common languages in the region. Bilingualism played a crucial role in facilitating trade and commerce. Wolof emerged as the predominant African culture along the upper Guinea Coast and the coast of South Carolina.
As they reached American colonies, they were forced to strip their home language to speak English. Through listening to the words their captors would say, as well as being taught, the enslaved would soon learn the English but not without pushback. In order to keep their roots, enslaved peoples created languages such as Creole, Gullah, and Tutnese to communicate with each other behind the captor's back as well as keeping their heritage. Languages such as patois and even AAVE derived from these conditions.
Group: Journey Burris, Damaya Froster, Kody Jackson, Tamlya Tolliver
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