African Slaves - Food

• Slaves ate a varied diet consisting of maize (usually in the form of cornbread or hominy), beans, pork, fish from the Mississippi, and game from the forests.
• African American cooks contributed gumbos, or stews thickened with okra, to the tables of both blacks and whites.
• Watermelons, introduced from Africa, were successfully grown in Illinois and were very popular among Africans and French alike.

How do they compare? Native Americans | French Settlers | African Slaves

© Illinois State Museum 31-Dec-96