This soul food is a menu item for birthdays, weddings, funerals, church socials, and Juneteenth (Freedom Day / Emancipation Day). This dish is made for special occasions: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, 4th of July. The only acceptable noodle: elbow macaroni. Some recipes include cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, Gruyere, or smoked gouda. Recipes feature at least 3 to 5 different cheeses. And it must be made well, with love and respect. Southern baked macaroni and cheese is always made from scratch. It’s part of the ethnic cuisine known as soul food.įor millions of African-Americans, southern baked mac and cheese is a unifying meal that’s highly venerated within Black communities. The cooking techniques and culinary influences from their native Africa reshaped this staple dish. It began with Thomas Jefferson and his enslaved chefs, particularly James Hemings. This meal first debuted in the American south.
Today, as I made and photographed this southern baked mac and cheese, I took time to share the unique history about this dish with my family. Then I shared these authentic recipes for New Orleans Jambalaya and New Orleans Red Beans and Rice.
I sought out history, took cooking classes, learned about Cajun cooking. Before travel was limited by world events, I spent time in NOLA.
