How to Celebrate Juneteenth 2023

Historic Significance:   
Juneteenth recognizes the freedom of enslaved people of African descent in Texas. It occurred nearly two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation for the freedom news to travel to Galveston, TX. The Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, TX, on June 19, 1865. As of June 17, 2021, the U.S. federal Congress approved a new bill recognizing Juneteenth as a national holiday. This is a huge milestone for all communities based in the U.S. of African-American heritage.

What We’re Cooking:  

• Smokey Greens
• Easy Peach Crisp
• Mango Papaya After Chop 
• Cold Black Eyed Pea Salad
• Ghanian Red Bean Stew

What We’re Learning:

Take our online e-course to get recipes, cooking techniques, and learn about the culture and history of the African Diaspora!

This exciting, self-paced course gives you the full experience of our 6-lesson cooking series-from your own home, on your own timeline. With each lesson, learn recipes (Mafe, Jollof Rice, Tangy Collard Greens), cultural history, nutrition concepts, and cooking skills related to the African Heritage Diet.

The lessons are recorded by a variety of experienced A Taste of African Heritage instructors, and include videos, cooking demos, printable recipes and handouts, and discussion boards where you can talk with fellow students.

To take $5 off of the e-course at checkout, use the code TAKE5JUNE

What We’re Watching:  

Join us in viewing this fantastic conversation with Nicole Taylor, the James Beard Award-nominated food writer, master home cook, producer, and  cookbook author of ?Watermelon and Red Birds: A Cookbook for Juneteenth and Black Celebrations.?

Netflix’s 4-part docuseries, High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America, provides a history lesson on African American resilience in the kitchen. It was adapted from Oldways’ African Heritage and Health Advisory Board Member Dr. Jessica B. Harris’ book, High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America.

The fourth episode, “Freedom,” features Black cowboys, barbecued brisket meats, Senegalese lamb, and southern Juneteenth festivities.

To learn more about the health benefits of African Heritage food traditions, Dr. Michael Greger at NutritionFacts.org explores the science and nutrition of this time-honored eating pattern and shines a spotlight on Oldways’ African Heritage and Health Program.

What We’re Reading and Listening to:  
Whether you’re seeking recipes to reconnect with your roots or simply a greater understanding of the diversity of the African Diaspora, here is what we’re reading to honor the legacy of Juneteenth.

Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora (2021) is the newest release from Bryant Terry, a James Beard Award-winning cookbook author. He also wrote Vegetable Kingdom: The Abundant World of Vegan Recipes (2020) and Afro-Vegan: Farm-Fresh African, Caribbean, and Southern Flavors Remixed (2014). For a deeper understanding of Black food, listen to our conversation with Bryant Terry here.

If you haven’t already, be sure not to miss Nicole Taylor’s summer-loving cookbook for family Juneteenth get-togethers, Watermelon and Red Birds: A Cookbook for Juneteenth and Black Celebrations.

Biography and memoir Koshersoul addresses the culinary contributions of both the Black and Jewish communities from James Beard Award Winning culinary historian Michael W. Twitty.

Other traditional dishes to cook and celebrate Juneteenth:  

• baked beans
• baked sweet potatoes
• banana pudding
• bourbon beet cornbread
• coleslaw
• fried cabbage
• fried green tomatoes
• hibiscus tea
• homemade tea
• potatoes salad