A celebration of the South's rich and messy heritage, delivered on a plate
Briefly

A celebration of the South's rich  and messy  heritage, delivered on a plate
"There are peppers. Beans. Corn. Cabbage. All kinds of herbs. Plus, boxes of cotton plants and peanuts, which Twitty grows to acknowledge his enslaved ancestors. "It's something people haven't seen," he remarked. "It's part of my heritage. I grow different varieties that are heirlooms. They're not meant for, like, commercial production. They're just meant to preserve the seed. And show people what's what.""
"That's one of the many things that Twitty wants the wider world to understand: Southern food, at its core, is deeply seasonal. Today, the garden is absolutely bursting with okra the essential African vegetable that became prized in the American South so we're making okra soup, red rice and slow-simmered green beans in a rich, meaty broth. Twitty is Jewish and observant"
Southern cuisine is seasonal, diverse, and rooted in African ingredients and the labor of enslaved people. A home garden supplies peppers, beans, corn, cabbage, herbs, cotton, and peanuts used both for eating and for preserving heirloom seeds that honor ancestral heritage. Okra, an essential African vegetable, features in okra soup, red rice, and slow-simmered green beans cooked in rich meaty broth. Observant Jewish dietary practice leads to substituting beef bacon for traditional pork. The approach emphasizes preserving varieties, teaching home cooks techniques that reflect the region’s complex, evolving food history, and showcasing vibrant fresh produce.
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