Part 3: Edna Lewis, the author
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Edna Lewis, the author
Edna Lewis’s legacy continues through her written work. Editor Judith Jones narrates her relationship with Edna Lewis and their work on The Edna Lewis Cookbook (1972) and, later, The Taste of Country Cooking (1976).
New School professor Tracyann Williams discusses the cultural and literary value of Enda Lewis’s cookbook writing.
Edna Lewis was aware that her work would have an impact in the transmission of the culinary culture in which she grew up, as this excerpt from the introduction to The Taste of Country Cooking indicates: The spirit of pride in community and of cooperation in the work of farming is what made Freetown a very wonderful place to grow up in […] Whenever there were major tasks on the farm, work that had to be accomplished quickly (and timing is so important in farming), then everyone pitched in, not just family but neighbors as well. And afterwards we would all take part in the celebrations, sharing the rewards that follow hard labor. The year seemed to be broken up by great events such as hog butchering, Christmas, the cutting of ice in winter, springtime with its gathering of the first green vegetables and the stock going away to summer pasture, the dramatic moment of wheat threshing, the excitement of Revival Week, Race Day, and the observance of Emancipation Day. All these events were shared by the whole community, young and old alike.[…] although the founders of Freetown have passed away, I am convinced that their ideas do live on for us to learn from, to enlarge upon, and pass on to the following generations. I am happy to see how many young people are going back to the land and to the South. They are interested in natural farming and they seem to want to know how we did things in the past, to learn firsthand from those who worked hard, loved the land, and relished the fruits of their labor.
Long before anybody talked about farm-to-fork, Edna Lewis understood how important the connection between what we eat and food production is. Her legacy goes beyond the African-American community, as Fabio Parasecoli explains. |
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