African American cuisine does not follow the starter-main-dessert format. It revolves around the Sunday 'welcome table': a foundational dish of legumes and grains that feeds the whole household, leafy greens slowly simmered in their own juices (the precious 'pot likker'), a shared sweet at the end of the meal, and a sweet drink that circulates on the table. In Harlem, during the 1920s-30s, this Deep South table, transplanted by the Great Migration, extended into evening 'rent parties' where fried fish was sold to pay the rent. This is the structure that Aaron Douglas knew: a cuisine of frugal abundance, communal, proud of its African roots.

The umami soul of African American cuisine: a piece of smoked pork (hock, tail, or skin) that slowly flavors the peas and greens. The resulting broth, 'pot likker', is so precious that it is sopped up with cornbread. A cross heritage of West African slow-cooking techniques and the resourcefulness of Southern kitchens.