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There’s much to learn about African American cuisine. So much, in fact, the National Museum of African American History and Culture in D.C. put together a James Beard Foundation Book Award-nominated cookbook, Sweet Home Cafe Cookbook, that not only features more than 100 dishes inspired by foods from African American culture, but it also shines a spotlight on the role African Americans played in creating and shaping American cuisine.
Since, African American cuisine has continued to evolve — and we have the many renowned Black chefs to thank for it, many of whom have rounded up their best Southern, soul food and creole recipes in best-selling, award-winning cookbooks.
From desserts and vegan-friendly dishes to unique takes on soul food and flawless fusions of African, Asian, Caribbean, and Southern plant-based cuisines, ahead are 12 of the best cookbooks written by Black chefs that should absolutely be added to your collection.
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‘Bountiful Cooking’ by Agatha Achindu
Image Credit: Hachette. Who said healthy food can’t taste good? Certainly not us and certainly not Agatha Achindu, author of the new Bountiful Cooking cookbook. Bountiful Cooking celebrates matrilineal culinary philosophies with 100 recipes that are filled with delicious, and life-giving nutrients.
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‘The Taste of Country Cooking’ by Edna Lewis
The Taste of Country Cooking by Edna Lewis is a staple for anyone wanting to dive into Southern cooking. In addition to the seasonal recipes, Lewis includes the ways her family prepared and enjoyed food so you can turn your cooking into an immersive experience.
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‘Son of a Southern Chef’ by Lazarus Lynch
Image Credit: Amazon. Written by two-time Chopped winner and host of Snapchat’s first-ever cooking show, Son of a Southern Chef is chock-full of more than 100 of Lazarus Lynch’s unique take on classic soul food recipes, like Brown Butter Candy Yam Mash with Goat Cheese Brülée and Shrimp and Crazy Creamy Cheddar Grits.
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‘The Full Plate: Flavor-Filled, Easy Recipes for Families with No Time and a Lot to Do’ by Ayesha Curry
Image Credit: Voracious. Cooking for a family? Ayesha Curry’s The Full Plate is filled with mouth-watering recipes the whole family will enjoy. Curry’s cookbook has 100 recipes that are flexible, flavorful and can be made in under 60 minutes.
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‘Jubilee’ by Toni Tipton-Martin
Image Credit: Amazon. A celebration of African American cuisine, Toni Tipton-Martin’s 2019 cookbook is a James Beard Award Winner and named one of the best cookbooks of the year by the New York Times. Tipton-Martin is also the author of The Jemima Code, a tribute to the role Black women played in the creation of southern cuisine. The 2015 cookbook, which presents more than 150 Black cookbooks dating as far back as the early 1800s, also won the James Beard Foundation Book Award in 2016.
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‘The Dooky Chase Cookbook’ by Leah Chase
Image Credit: Amazon. Anyone who’s lived in or visited New Orleans knows about the Dooky Chase Restaurant, a landmark restaurant visited by Ella Fitzgerald, Barack Obama, Ray Charles, and more. And this cookbook, published in 1990, features all of the Queen of Creole Cuisine Leah Chase’s famous recipes, from her Crawfish Etouffee to Squirrel Pie.
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‘In Pursuit of Flavor’ by Edna Lewis
Image Credit: Amazon. Since 2014, Brown Sugar Kitchen started has been the soul-food destination in West Oakland. And if you can’t visit to find out why first-hand, then you’ll npick up chef-owner Tanya Holland’s 2014 eponymous cookbook. In it, you’ll find nearly 90 recipes that’ll help you re-create favorites, like Holland’s shrimp gumbo and her celebrated mac ‘n’ cheese.
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‘Brown Sugar Kitchen’ by Tanya Holland
Image Credit: Amazon. Since 2014, Brown Sugar Kitchen started has been the soul-food destination in West Oakland. And if you can’t visit to find out why first-hand, then you’ll npick up chef-owner Tanya Holland’s 2014 eponymous cookbook. In it, you’ll find nearly 90 recipes that’ll help you re-create favorites, like Holland’s shrimp gumbo and her celebrated mac ‘n’ cheese.
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‘Black Girl Baking’ by Jerrelle Guy
Image Credit: Amazon. 2019 James Beard Foundation Book Award nominee Black Girl Baking tells the stories behind each and every one of Chocolate for Basil founder and chef Jerrelle Guy’s desserts. This cookbook even caught the attention of chef and TV personality Carla Hall, who raved, “Black Girl Baking has a rhythm and a realness to it.”
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‘Sweet Home Café Cookbook’
Image Credit: Amazon. The National Museum of African American History and Culture comprised this 2018 cookbook described as a celebration of African American cooking. Sweet Home Cafe not only boasts more than 100 recipes, but this 2019 James Beard Foundation Book Award nominee for best American cookbook also offers a new perspective on African American culinary culture.
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‘Carla Hall’s Soul Food’
Image Credit: Amazon. The Chew host Carla Hall’s Soul Food is an ode to her Nashville roots, featuring 145 original soul food recipes — all with a Carla Hall twist. One of many fans of Soul Food? Craving’s founder Chrissy Teigen, who wrote: “It’s no secret how much Carla Hall loves food. Her passion to share, her knowledge of tradition, and her palpable excitement have been witnessed by millions everywhere. Here, she translates that energy into a beautiful book where love and soul ooze off the pages. I can’t wait to cook these recipes for my family.”
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‘Afro-Vegan’ by Bryant Terry
Image Credit: Amazon. Chef and food justice activist Bryant Terry has published one of the best vegetarian cookbooks of all time, Afro-Vegan. In it, you’ll find more than 100 vegan-friendly recipes that beautifully blend African, Caribbean, and southern plant-based cuisines.
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‘Sweet Potato Soul’ by Jenne Claiborne
Image Credit: Amazon. Another cookbook for vegans, Sweet Potato Soul is Jenne Clairborne’s fresh, flavorful take on soulful, plant-based dishes, from her Georgia Watermelon & Peach Salad and Jalapeño Hush Puppies to her Bootylicious Gumbo. “Jenné makes a vegan lifestyle look easy — not to mention totally delicious. Her tips and recipe roundups are super-practical for vegans and non-vegans alike,” Rachael Ray wrote.
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‘Between Harlem and Heaven’
Image Credit: Amazon. Winner of the James Beard Award for Best American Cookbook, Between Harlem and Heaven presents more than 100 Afro-Asian-American recipes created by James Beard Award winning chef Joseph Johnson and restaurateur, opera singer, and co-owner and executive chef of award-winning restaurant The Cecil and its sister restaurant Minton’s.
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‘The Africa Cookbook’ by Jessica B. Harris
Image Credit: Amazon. The Africa Cookbook is just one of 12 cookbooks written by award-winning food historian and one of the world’s leading experts on African Diaspora cooking, Jessica B. Harris. “I like the way Jessica Harris thinks,” says Maya Angelou of The Africa Cookbook, which features more than 200 traditional and contemporary recipes. I very much like the way she writes, and I am a great admirer of the way she cooks. This book is valuable to all thinking, writing cooks.”
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